Gravity
by Rome OMD
Summary: Ichigo never knew that saving Grimmjow’s life would’ve led to such serious repercussions—for both himself and the Espada.
1. Part I

Summary: Ichigo never knew that saving Grimmjow's life would've led to such serious repercussions—for both himself and the Espada.

Rating: PG-13

Date of Publication (Part I): 8/29/08

Note(s): This is a Grimmjow/Ichigo story, which means that there will be shounen-ai in the following. This takes place after Ichigo defeats Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo, and I'm sort of twisting the plot line after that. (But for good reason! How else will the two end up together?)

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Gravity

Part I

By Rome OMD

It had all begun with that moment.

Everyone needed to retreat; it was a command from the highest authority in Soul Society. The captains, who had arrived to help the flailing team rescuing Orihime, had already left and now, Chad, Ishida, and Inoue were stepping through the last-minute portal produced by the former Twelfth Division Captain, Urahara Kisuke.

"Oi, Ichigo! We need to leave _now_!" Renji shouted. The portal flickered ahead like a malfunctioning light bulb, and he looked at it with increasing edginess. Rukia was moving her hands in a "hurry up, don't make me drag you!" motion.

Ichigo turned to leave, but something like an invisible string tugged at him and caused him to stop. He looked around and saw the fallen Espada lying prostrate on the sandy ground, his tattooed six masked by a fresh wound that Ichigo himself had inflicted earlier in their fight. He couldn't help but notice that even in defeat, Grimmjow looked confident, if not arrogant, as he slept on, oblivious to the situation at hand.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried.

He didn't know what compelled him to do as he did, and he'd never find out. Some actions are just inexplicable and done purely out of gut intuition, and this was just one of those times. As he stepped through the portal with Grimmjow's limp body hanging over his shoulder, he could feel the nearly palpable confusion and query of his companions' searching gazes. But thankfully, his companions weren't just companions but also friends. They didn't question him.

At least, not until they stepped past the large, imposing walls of Seireitei.

--

As soon as they entered Seireitei, Renji waited behind to pull Ichigo aside. Rukia looked at them once and shared a knowing nod with Renji before heading off with everyone else to the Fourth Division's infirmary. "We're going to my office," he whispered to Ichigo.

It took them a few minutes to get there—it seemed to be farther away than Renji remembered—but as soon as he ushered Ichigo in, he shut the door to his office and demanded, "I'm gonna try to say this as rationally as I can: what the _hell_ were ya thinkin'?"

Ichigo waited until he had placed Grimmjow on the bed before replying, "What do you want me to do?"

"What do ya mean, 'What d'ya want me to do'?"

"What's done is done. There's nothing I can do about it now."

"Do ya know what kind of consequences this could have for ya? Or Soul Society? You brought an Arrancar, a member of the _Espada_ no less, back here of all places! The minute he gets back in shape, who knows what kind of destruction he'll wreak!"

"If that happens, I'll take responsibility. I'll fight Grimmjow again, and I won't spare his life."

"Look," Renji said, moving closer. "That ain't the point. I don't care if ya kill him or if he becomes another guinea pig for the Twelfth Division. It's what's gonna happen to ya that I care about. This ain't doin' anything for your sparkling reputation here in Seireitei, y' know. Ya got under your belt a serious offense here."

His aggravation showed no signs of abating, even as he tiredly rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. Just as Renji was about to leap off into another litany of reprimands, he immediately refrained himself when he turned to look at the substitute Shinigami. Everything he was about to say suddenly evaporated on his tongue when he saw Ichigo's blank stare boring into his. All frustration melted into compassion as he walked over to put a reassuring hand on Ichigo's slouching shoulder.

Renji hesitated for a moment before sitting beside him on the couch. It was unnerving seeing Ichigo like this. Ichigo sat with his elbows on his knees, his head tilted downwards, like he usually would whenever he was in deep contemplation, but what lacked now was his usual energy, his will to fight on, gravity's invisible hands pulling down on every part of his body and soul; even his hair appeared lilted and lacked its characteristic reckless dishevelment. Ichigo had so much pressure to endure, the weight of saving the world—worlds—now becoming too heavy a burden for his shoulders alone to bear. And it showed, like a black cloud above his head, the first crack of his seemingly impenetrable psyche now leading to an endless emotional descent.

And here Renji was, grasping at straws to try and find something to say that would somehow comfort him.

Renji turned when he heard knocking on the door. "Who is it?"

"Abarai-fukutaicho. It's me, Yamada Hanataro of the Fourth Division."

"Come in," Renji said, making his way to the door. Hanataro slipped in, looking unsure as he took in the sight around him. "Can ya heal those two over there?"

"Kurosaki-kun!" he said, somewhat relieved despite the morose atmosphere. "And…" he stopped, staring at Grimmjow, who lay recumbent on the couch.

"Please hurry," Renji added.

"H-hai!"

Hanataro had barely moved before there sounded another knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"Let me in, it's me! Why'd you lock the door?" Rukia shoved her way in, panting like she had just finished running a marathon before she arrived. "We don't have time. Ichigo's been convicted."

"Shit!"

"We need to get him out of here as soon as possible. They've sent all of the Gotei 13 to find and apprehend Ichigo and the Espada."

Time was slipping between their fingers like sand and patience running thin as Renji looked on in frustration at Ichigo, who still remained unmoving in his seat. "Kurosaki, get up! Get up! Damn it, Kurosaki, ya asked for it," Renji said, as he slammed his fist as hard as he could across Ichigo's face before grabbing him by the collar. "Ya listen to me, an' ya listen to me now. Ya couldn't save the world this time, but y'know what? We couldn't either. But there's gonna be another chance. We'll kick Aizen's ass then, but for now, ya gotta get your lazy ass up from that chair or else we ain't gonna get nowhere!"

Ichigo turned to look at Renji, and had Renji been anyone else, anyone who didn't know him as well as he did, Ichigo's infinitesimal nod would've gone unnoticed.

Renji grinned and then looked over his shoulder. "Finally, some life in ya. Rukia, ya take Ichigo back to the human world. I'll take care of those comin' here."

"Err…" muttered Hanataro from the corner, seemingly forgotten.

"Get out of here. You'll be just as guilty as we will be if you're caught anywhere near here."

"I don't care! Let me do something to help!"

"Can you heal while running?" Rukia asked. Hanataro nodded immediately. "Then you're coming with me."

Just as they were about to exit through the back door, Renji shouted over the loudening commotion outside, his zanpakuto gripped tightly in his hand, "Ichigo, saving a life, even it's your enemy's, is one of the noblest things a man can do. Ya did the right thing, don't ever doubt it."

Ichigo seemed to run faster after that.

--

Once they had reached an abandoned forest clearing miles away, Rukia turned to face Ichigo, who was struggling with Grimmjow's weight as he ran. Hanataro followed close behind, breathing heavily from having to simultaneously heal and keep pace with everyone else.

"This is it. I'll open the gate for you here. You won't be able to return to Soul Society for a while, Ichigo. You're considered a criminal for having brought an Espada back into Soul Society."

"When haven't I pissed the authorities off here?"

Rukia smirked. Ichigo was finally showing semblance of his old self again. "Renji and I will find a time to visit you. Until then, just," Rukia paused, "don't be stupid, Ichigo."

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing, I swear. Geez, where are they?" Rukia said, looking around.

Just as Ichigo was about to ask who "they" were, Ishida, Chad, and Inoue came running in their direction. "They're after us, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue shouted in between uneven intakes of breath.

"Ready yourselves," Rukia said. Mere moments later, a large gate materialized in front of them, its large doors slowly swinging open and white light pouring out from within like a beacon of hope. "You guys, get in!"

They obeyed without a moment's hesitation. Just as Ichigo was about to step through, Rukia said, holding onto the hem of his sleeve, "Ichigo, be careful."

With knowing eyes, he replied, "I will. Thanks."

"Keep your promises!"

That was the last thing Ichigo heard, as they made their one-way trek back to the human world, the weight of a heavy, unconscious Arrancar straining the muscles in his back.

End of Part I

Author's Note(s): I hope you enjoyed reading and drop a review if you can. Thanks!


	2. Part II, a

Date of Publication (Part II, a): 9/27/08

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Lovely thanks to my beta, Vicious-Loner! Read her stories!

Gravity

Part II, a

By Rome OMD

Urahara Kisuke knows that with every action comes an equal and opposite reaction. Nothing is without consequences. This is why he believes in responsibility and detests those who run away from it. He knows that this is how character is built, having been a former captain in the Gotei 13 a long time ago and observing and guiding his subordinates. And living in the human world has not changed his views one bit, people are people wherever you go, which is why he acted as he did when Ichigo arrived at his store late one afternoon.

"Oh, Kurosaki-san! How nice of you to drop by!" Urahara greeted, eyes peeking out from the hem of his striped hat.

"Hey. So, how is he?" Kisuke noticed Ichigo slightly averting his gaze.

"Why don't you come in to see for yourself?" The briefest hesitation flashed across Ichigo's face before he followed him into the room that housed the sixth Espada, Grimmjow Jaggerjack.

Ichigo looked on quietly as Grimmjow's bandaged chest rose up and down with each slow breath. Ichigo's hands were awkwardly stuffed into his pockets, fiddling with his keys as if trying to fill the stretching silence.

"In a few days time, he'll be completely healed, though I imagine he'll be sleeping through it all. Seems like it was a tough fight the two of you shared there."

Ichigo shrugged. "Rather not think about it."

"I've also managed to seal most of his reiatsu. Not all but most. The seal should be strong enough that he won't be able to break out of it, even after full convalescence."

"That should come in handy." He meant to say it sarcastically, but it came out more halfhearted than anything else, really.

"I hope so, as it took so much effort!"

"Thanks. Err, I'll be leaving now. I guess I'll come back tomorrow." Ichigo turned to leave but stopped when he felt a hand firmly grip his shoulder.

"Just wait a second, Kurosaki-san. You must take him with you."

Ichigo thought that the smile plastered on Urahara's face meant that he was very much joking. And a very bad joke at that, indeed.

"Hell. No."

Well, it came out a little blunter than he'd intended.

"I've already got a lot to handle on my own, and I'd be overwhelmed if I had to add yet another task to my to-do list. Please do me a favor and take him with you. Don't think of it as payment for my services, but a deed you will undertake from the kindness of your heart."

Ichigo swore that Urahara's smile was the bane of humanity and all things sane. He also swore quite colorfully when he began the walk home with Grimmjow once again slung over his shoulder, Urahara happily waving in the background.

--

"Three days, fifteen hours, and four minutes."

"What was that, Kurosaki-kun? I couldn't hear you clearly; you were talking into your textbook," Inoue said from beside him, moving to her school desk.

Ichigo turned his head to look at her but continued to lay his tired head on the cover of his English textbook. He thought she looked much too happy on this too ill-fated a week. "Why did I ever do it? I should've left him in Hueco Mundo like any good guy would've." This was more mumbled to the general vicinity than directed particularly at Inoue.

"Don't say that! Then your actions would've had no meaning!"

"Why not? I would've," Ishida added in, leaning against his desk. "A Hollow is a Hollow, and this is the truth. Why you don't absorb it into that thick head of yours is a mystery I'll never solve, Kurosaki. You brought it upon yourself."

"Why not what?" Keigo interjected, squeezing in between Ichigo and Ishida's desks. "Why are you guys always having these secret conversations where I'm always left uninvited? Why? Why this injustice? What is it with this tight-knit group and me being ostracized—"

Keigo's voice, as well as those of his classmates, quickly faded into a cacophony of incomprehensible noises and sounds in Ichigo's head. Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes.

It had been a few days since he'd brought Grimmjow, still unconscious, home and stuffed him in his bedroom closet. He'd thought that saving lives, especially nobly saving that of your enemy's, would've brought some semblance of solace to his disappointing loss in Hueco Mundo—at least he would've done _something_ right. But, it had brought anything but that.

His failure in Hueco Mundo might've been more tolerable if he hadn't had Grimmjow to also worry about, but with his luck, he had the two compounded together like a two-layer cake, "pain" happily frosted on top and a cherry dotting the i. The fact that he hadn't defeated Aizen, or Ulquiorra for that matter, left open a window of constant anxiety that he could not come to close anytime in the foreseeable future, mainly because of that other new obstacle blocking him from doing so, in the form of one Grimmjow Jaggerjack.

Who knew what Grimmjow would do when he woke up, Urahara's seal notwithstanding, especially if Ichigo wasn't at home to protect his family? He pinched the bridge of his nose; just thinking about it made him emotionally and mentally drained.

At first, Ichigo had maintained a rather optimistic outlook. When he woke up, he imagined himself explaining everything and Grimmjow, begrudgingly of course, would eventually acknowledge his actions and undergo a change of heart, at least to the extent where he'd cease taking such schadenfreude from destroying every part of Ichigo's life. But, the more he thought about it, the less optimistic he became and the more violent and less appreciative Grimmjow would become in his imagination, once even leading to a sweat-inducing nightmare that forced him to stay up all night to make sure that Grimmjow wouldn't after all wake up while he was sleeping and attack his family or his friends. It was like trying to incarcerate a tiger within a wooden cage. Or a panther, but Ichigo thought that that was too obvious.

All week, Ichigo hadn't been able to focus in school, and he couldn't remember a single conversation with any of his friends or family. And until the Arrancar-sleeping-in-closet problem solved itself (Ichigo couldn't devise a solution outside of throwing the body somewhere—Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, out his window), there was no sign of any of this stopping anytime in the near future.

After finishing dinner later that evening, Ichigo desired nothing but sleep. He'd even skip training tonight. He needed a good ten hours at least. The all-nighter yesterday was killer.

"Onii-chan, are you finished already? Was the food bad?" Yuzu asked.

"No, Yuzu. I'm just not hungry. I haven't been feeling well recently." He stood up to put his dishes away.

"Would you like chicken soup? Something to make you feel better?" She looked at him with concern.

"No, I'm good. I'm heading up. Thanks for the meal."

When Ichigo reached for a new set of pajamas inside his drawer, it was with great frustration that he realized he was out, in the drawer at least. There was one, he knew, in the closet he had forgotten to take out. He sighed before walking over to look through the closet to find it.

However, when he opened the door, he was unprepared for the hand that shot out to take hold of his neck and the pair of piercing blue eyes staring nefariously at him.

"Hello, Shinigami," Grimmjow said, donning his most infamous grin.

End of Part II, a

Author's Note(s): Sorry for the split part II! I couldn't connect the two parts without it feeling too awkward or heavy. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review.


	3. Part II, b

Date of Publication (Part II, b): 11/15/08

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Special, special thanks to Vicious-Loner for being so lovely and beta-ing this story! (Despite my embarrassingly slow pace… shh…)

Gravity

Part II, b

By Rome OMD

"Grimmjow!"

"Happy to see me?" he said, tightening his hold.

But when Ichigo realized that the grip on his neck wasn't as tight as he had initially expected, his panic immediately disappeared. With a smirk, he managed to pull Grimmjow's hand away.

Grimmjow looked on with disbelief before exclaiming, "What the—?"

"Keep it down, will you? This is my house."

"Doesn't change a thing," Grimmjow growled as he reached out with his other hand, eyes widening when Ichigo swiftly moved out of the way, the smirk on his face only growing wider.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Grimmjow looked positively infuriated.

"I saved your life. Regretfully."

"Poor bastard." Grimmjow jumped from his perch in the closet and steadily landed on his feet. That is, until he took his first step and promptly tripped, his knees flailing at odd (and surely uncomfortable) angles. "Shit, Shinigami, if you're going to save someone, do it right! I can't freakin' move right!" He was weakly pushing up with his arms and trying to regain his footing again.

"A... _friend_," Ichigo forced out, "healed you. He also sealed your powers just in case you, you know, go on another one of those destroy-the-world rampages. Anyway, that's why you've got that hopefully permanent lack of coordination."

"Well, then tell this friend of yours to bring 'em back!"

"No."

Grimmjow glared. "You better or else—"

"I believe I have the upper-hand here. So you better shut up while you're stuck here with me."

"I ain't stuck here with anyone."

"Hey, I'm not exactly ecstatic over this arrangement either."

"Then you should've let me rot in Hueco Mundo. I never asked you to save me, Shinigami."

To this, Ichigo had no response.

"Just breathing the same air as you is maddening enough as it is. I hate looking at you, I hate talking to you. I hate _you_." Grimmjow moved to the window, somewhat ungainly.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business," he answered before jumping out.

Ichigo walked over to his bed and leaned against the windowsill, watching as Grimmjow jumped over the neighboring buildings and became a distant white dot in the night sky. If Ichigo hadn't been so infuriated at him, he might've considered stopping Grimmjow. He reckoned he should feel guilty or responsible at least, but Grimmjow escaping was a rather convenient solution that he hadn't ever taken into account. So why change this auspicious turn of events? He changed into his pajamas and went to sleep. He'd get good sleep tonight.

---

The next morning, Ichigo went to school with a much lighter head and looser shoulders, walking with a nearly noticeable bounce in his step. His scowl wasn't so earnest anymore but done for appearance's sake. Now that he didn't have Grimmjow to deal with, the world seemed to be so much brighter and he welcomed it with open arms.

Such was the transformation that nearly all of his friends acknowledged it in some way, Inoue directly commenting on it and Ishida staring at him with a dubious look. He didn't mind, though. Ichigo took part in conversations and his laughter was less strained and more genuine. Life was good. Not great, but better.

It was rather nifty of Urahara to subdue Grimmjow's power like that. The seal was so effective that Ichigo, who usually had no trouble sensing Grimmjow's reiatsu signature, could now barely if at all sense the Arrancar's presence, wherever he was, whatever he was doing. Or, whatever happened to him.

Wait.

That included being attacked by a stronger Hollow or a fellow Espada. Or worse.

Captured by the Gotei 13.

Suddenly, shock poured over him like a torrent of cold water.

"What's wrong, Kurosaki-kun? Your face suddenly changed," Inoue said, sitting down in her seat. "Is it the smell? Because I tried a new recipe this morning for lunch, so…"

"No, it's nothing. I just realized that I've got something to do…"

"But class is going to start in a minute!"

"Sorry, but this can't wait!" Ichigo said as he got up, running towards the door.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Leave him, Inoue-san," Ishida said, his eyes never leaving his textbook. "You know him. He's going to save that Arrancar's life and then complain about it afterwards."

Chad agreed with a nod.

Keigo then popped in between them. "Where's Ichigo? Why'd he suddenly run off like that? Ishida, what's with your knowing gaze? Why am I always left out? Why? Why? Why?"

---

The only thought that settled in Ichigo's mind as he jogged around Karakura other than "Where is that damn Arrancar?" was "Why the _hell_ am I doing this?" But Ichigo was too preoccupied with trying to answer the first question to have time to deal with the second. Either that or he was scared of the answer. Luckily, it was not before long when he spotted a familiar tuft of bright blue hair hidden behind the leaves of a nearby tree.

"You know, if you're looking for a good hiding spot, something that doesn't contrast so much with your hair would probably be a little more successful," Ichigo said, looking up and squinting past the rays of the sun that streamed in through the branches.

"It took you long enough, Shinigami."

"What, were you waiting for me or something?"

"No, I was simply amusing myself by watching you run in circles for the past hour."

"I get it."

"Haven't met someone with such poor control over his reiatsu in a long time. You're digging your own grave, Shinigami."

Ichigo glared. _Bastard_.

"Take me to that friend of yours."

"No."

"I want my powers back."

"No. Not until you prove that you won't go on a mad rampage destroying everything in sight once you get them back."

"Then I'll find this friend of yours and force him to give 'em back the old-fashioned way."

"I'll stop you."

Grimmjow glared hard at Ichigo, who stood with his arms crossed at the base of the tree, before scowling and turning away. Ichigo figured that this was as compliant as Grimmjow was ever going to be.

"I'm going back," Ichigo said.

"Fine."

"And you're coming, too." Ichigo paused. "You can't, err, I can't have you, well—it's not… Never mind, but you're coming with me even if I've got to force you."

"I never said otherwise. It's boring as hell here. At least Soul Society would've been more entertaining, I'm sure."

"You're stuck here, I'm stuck here, and there's a war going on in the other side. Aren't we the lucky ones."

Grimmjow's ears perked up in interest. "You're stuck here?"

Ichigo quickly dismissed his comment with a wave of his hand. "It's nothing. Let's go."

As he turned to walk back, Ichigo whimsically wondered if Grimmjow had regained his coordination, having to essentially readjust to a new body after Urahara sealed his powers, and found his answer when the latter jumped from the branch and seemed to land fine, until his knees suddenly gave out like before. "What the _hell_ did that bastard do to me?" Grimmjow shouted in frustration as he fell forward.

With his back turned to Grimmjow, Ichigo began to answer, "Serves you right—" but was promptly cut off when he felt a familiar weight thrown his way. They fell to the ground, limbs tangled awkwardly and Ichigo's school uniform now stained with grass and dirt, his side uncomfortably pressed to Grimmjow's chest. It felt warm. "Ugh, get the hell off me!"

When Grimmjow finally managed to straighten himself up, he was brushing dirt off his white hakama as Ichigo stood up, a blush growing on the latter's face.

"Wasn't any better for me, I can assure you—Wait, are you blushing?" Grimmjow began to laugh.

Ichigo's eyes widened and he furrowed his eyebrows, growing red with embarrassment despite the misleading effect.

"Well, Shinigami, if I knew that—" Girmmjow suddenly grabbed his nose. "—the hell was that for!"

Grimmjow's laughter was just as irritating as Urahara's, but at least Ichigo had the option of silencing it with a punch.

End of Part II, b

Author's Note(s): How is it so far? I'd love to hear what you have to say, so please leave a review if you can. For those who have been reading and reviewing, thank you so much! I'll try my hardest to make this story worth your while.


	4. Part III

Date of Publication (Part III): 1/2/2009

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

And no chapter would be complete without giving credit to Vicious-Loner for her lovely beta-ing! Read her stories!

Gravity

Part III

By Rome OMD

It was like a hundred gentle hands touching his face that eventually pulled him from sleep that morning. Ichigo woke up to the hospitable warmth of the sun on his skin, a shaft of light pouring through his parted curtains. He groggily rubbed his eyes to wipe away the remnants of sleep and moved over to sit on the edge of his bed.

"Onii-chan!" The voice came from the other side of the door.

"G'morning, Yuzu," he replied sleepily.

"Are you ready yet? Your breakfast is getting cold!"

"Wha—" Ichigo muttered before looking at his alarm clock. "What the—" he started but managed to stop himself before saying too much in front of Yuzu. "I'll be downstairs in a sec!" He grabbed the nearest object, which also happened to be his clock, and threw it at the figure sleeping on the floor.

"What the hell is your problem?" Grimmjow's guttural voice replied, annoyed.

"Stop turning the damn alarm off!" Ichigo was jumping up and down, trying to fit his legs into the sleeves of his pants.

Grimmjow shifted to his side before muttering, "Can't get enough sleep with that thing on. Your damn school starts too early."

"I'm late _again_ because of you, bastard," Ichigo muttered as he buttoned his shirt with his pants half-dangling from his legs. Ichigo stole a quick glance at the mirror before charging downstairs to grab his lunch and head out the door. He shot one more frustrating glare towards his window before sprinting to class.

It had been like this all week. Grimmjow had been staying with him for only seven days and already, Ichigo was on the verge of destroying the very being he had saved back in Hueco Mundo (and for whom he had also sacrificed his (relatively) good standing in Seireitei). He tried not to think about the pandemonium in Soul Society that resulted from his actions and how it all ultimately ended with his exile.

_Maybe_ _Ishida's right, I should've let him rot there_, he thought. But he knew that even if he were given the chance to go through that moment another hundred times, he would never do anything differently. Although he was constantly tempted. Very, very tempted.

When they began rooming together, Grimmjow had been civil, or reserved in the least. He had agreed to sleep in the closet after a relatively subdued objection and hardly bothered Ichigo at all, for which the latter was thankful as he had much studying to catch up on. They went about their business silently, not saying much to each other. It wasn't so bad, and Ichigo thought that if they continued on like this, all his earlier doubts and worries about Grimmjow might've been for naught. That is, until their second night together. It began with just one comment:

"The damn closet is too small. I have no leg room."

"Deal with it," Ichigo said, eyes not leaving his homework.

"How about I take your bed," Grimmjow suggested.

"No."

"I'm taking your bed."

"No."

"I'm keeping your bed," Grimmjow said as he jumped and collapsed on the mattress, its springs squeaking under his weight.

"Get the hell off my bed," Ichigo said, finally looking at Grimmjow.

"No."

This was when Ichigo slammed his fist on his papers. Pointing his thumb over his shoulder, Ichigo said again, "Get off my bed and back into the closet."

"You ain't telling me to do nothing, Shinigami," Grimmjow replied, and when he smiled his trademarked feral grin, Ichigo chucked his patience out the window and began to violently wrestle the superfluous inhabitant off his bed and onto the floor. Many bruises, scratches, and black eyes later, Ichigo was studying at his desk after spreading a sleeping bag for Grimmjow to sleep in on the floor.

"There. This is the only upgrade you're going to get," Ichigo said, rubbing his swollen cheek.

Again, after relatively subdued complaints, Grimmjow agreed. Ichigo hoped that this arrangement would last longer than one night; maybe two, if he was feeling desperate.

The next morning, Ichigo woke up very drowsily, his eyes opening heavily as if weights were attached to the ends of his eyelids. He walked over to retrieve his towel from his closet to take a shower, but, upon forgetting that he had a new roommate, tripped against Grimmjow's sleeping form. "Damn you," he mumbled before reaching for his towel and walking to the bathroom.

The day after that was a Saturday. That afternoon, Ichigo was at his desk, again studying, for he needed to catch up on the studies he had procrastinated throughout the previous week due to some unforeseen (though, not unexpected) circumstances concerning the roommate who was now lounging on his bed. (Ichigo had given up on trying to get Grimmjow off his bed.)

"I hate you," Grimmjow said.

Ichigo ignored the interruption.

"I hate this place. No wonder you humans are so mindless."

Ichigo was dangerously reaching the end of his fuse. If Grimmjow spoke one more word, he just might—

"Oi, Shini—"

"That's it." Ichigo cracked his pencil in half and threw both pieces at the Arrancar's head. Grimmjow knocked both pieces from their intended trajectories. "How about we go back to when we peacefully ignored each other and pretended the other didn't exist, shall we?"

"I've got _nothing_ to do. At least you have school. It's like living in a cage here. I've got nothing to kill and no power to kill with. For someone who likes to go on those destroy-the-world rampages, living here is like living as a prisoner in Seireitei. Or serving Aizen. Either way, it sucks ass."

"Why don't you go out for a jog or something? I'm sure that'll use some of that pent-up energy."

"Already did. Twice around the world. It did nothing. "

At Grimmjow's unexpected sarcasm, Ichigo tried hard to suppress a grin. "Will you just stop?" Ichigo asked finally, sighing very exasperatedly.

And the answer he dreaded smoothly slipped from Grimmjow's lips, "No."

Utterly defeated, Ichigo threw an eraser through the hole in Grimmjow's abdomen.

* * *

At school on Tuesday morning, Ichigo rested his head tiredly in his arms. He did not want to face the world today, did not want to talk to people today. And he definitely did not want to take that exam in two hours today.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue chirped, walking over.

He weakly waved his hand in greeting.

"Kurosaki-kun? Is everything okay?"

Ishida walked towards them and took the seat next to Ichigo's desk. "My guess is that you're having trouble living with that Arrancar. Not getting any sleep, perhaps?"

Peeping through his arms with half-lidded eyes, Ichigo weakly retorted, "Shove off. It's not like I asked for it."

"I, unlike you, consider the consequences of my actions before acting. That way, I avoid the kinds of unnecessary situations that you get yourself into. Why don't you just let—" Ishida began but immediately silenced himself when Ichigo shot him an admonishing glare. "You brought it upon yourself."

With a contemplative finger on her cheek, Inoue asked, "Does your family know about... you know?"

Ichigo replied, "Apparently he can mask his reiatsu a lot better than I can. I'm sure he's had centuries of practice."

"Oh," she said.

When he saw Tatsuki approaching them, Ichigo turned towards the window and filtered out the conversations his friends were having beside him out of his attention. He stared at the faraway trees, wishing that he could just get outside and run somewhere far away and perhaps destroy some Hollows along the way, just for the sake of taking his mind off of all this. It'd even be great to just climb that tree with the blue leaves over there… what? Blue… leaves?

Ichigo read lips.

"I'll be shadowing you at school today, Shinigami," Grimmjow said, grinning.

Ishida's voice rang in his head. _"You brought it upon your—"_

_Shut up, four-eyes._

* * *

Ichigo didn't remember ever having to put up with so much during a school day (perhaps with an exception for the time when Renji came to visit him a little while back). He not only had to take an exam—that was frustrating enough—but also had to put up with the constant presence of that bastard Arrancar throughout school. What added only to the frustration was the fact that he had to exercise excruciating patience to tolerate Grimmjow and his ridiculously annoying comments and/or actions that entire day. If only Ichigo could have just kicked the bastard in the face without everyone around him thinking he was even more insane that he already was.

His reprieve came at the end of the day, when the bell for the end of his last class sounded. As he prepared to go home, he suddenly realized that Grimmjow wasn't walking next to him and spewing his usual ridiculous verbiage. _Since when did he leave?_

He was about to sigh in relief when Ishida walked up to him, Inoue and Chad following close behind. Their serious looks alerted Ichigo to the presence of a Hollow nearby. They nodded to each other, understanding, and quickly made their way to the site of the alien reiatsu.

* * *

They say that "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." And with all other proverbs, the significance of these sayings never affects Ichigo until he sees them played out in real life. And such was the case when he arrived at the site of the rogue Hollow.

They arrived at an abandoned clearing, which was occupied by only two lone figures. The Hollow threatened its opponent, bearing its teeth and claws and letting out a sharp, strident call in an attempt to intimidate its weakened opponent. Hunched over, Grimmjow stared up through the loose strands of his blue hair at the Hollow, one hand gripped on his sword and the other on his leg for support as he sought to catch his breath.

"What…" Ichigo started. "It shouldn't be any higher than a Class—" Then realization dawned.

With his remaining energy, Grimmjow leapt towards the Hollow, looking to deliver a finishing blow with his sword. However, the Hollow's quicker reflexes sent Grimmjow flying backwards against the ground, leaving a billowing trail of dust behind him.

"We need to do something, otherwise he'll be killed," Chad said.

"Kurosaki-kun," Inoue said, looking at him.

"But it's his fight," Ichigo replied.

"He'll be killed at this rate, Kurosaki," Ishida reminded him. He shot Ichigo a meaningful look. "If you won't intercede, I will."

Ichigo hesitated before assuming shikai and walking towards the Hollow. Grimmjow hardly shot him an acknowledging glance. When Ichigo unsheathed his sword, the Hollow immediately turned its attention towards him, deeming him the larger threat. However, per his earlier assessment, the Hollow was rather weak and it took only one forceful swing of his sword before it disintegrated.

In the wake of the Hollow's destruction, everyone remained quiet, the wind and rustling of the trees the only sounds in the background. Slowly, Ichigo turned to look at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow was sitting on the ground, his head lowered and his face shadowed by his hair. His sword lay defeated a few feet away. The bruises and cuts across his bare chest and forearms showed his struggle against the Hollow. Ichigo couldn't quite remember a time when Grimmjow had appeared so downcast. When he looked up, Ichigo was unexpectedly caught by the intensity of emotion in his blue eyes.

"Why the hell are you here?" he softly asked.

Ichigo remained silent.

"This was my fight."

"You were clearly struggling—"

"I was clearly fine, you asshole! I'm not so weak that I can't—" The cracking of his voice did not go unnoticed by Ichigo. He then abruptly snapped his head up and looked directly at Ichigo. "Fight me, Shinigami. Or are you scared?" Grimmjow shouted as he stood up, each accusatory word spat out like fire. Boring his eyes piercingly into Ichigo's, he picked up his sword. "Fight me, Shinigami! Fight me! Put on your freakin' mask and FIGHT ME!"

Ichigo was about to protest, but Grimmjow cut him off. "You promised you would fight me whenever, remember? Now keep your word!"

Ichigo took his stance.

Because, Ichigo thought, without his power, Grimmjow thought he was nothing.

End of Part III

Author's Notes: Happy New Year! I wish you all things good on all your endeavors this coming year! I really, really appreciate you reading this story and for being so patient for each chapter, and very special thanks to each and every one of you lovely people who review! Again, if you have the time, please tell me how I'm doing.


	5. Part IV

Date of Publication (Part IV): 5/22/09

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Gravity

Part IV

By Rome OMD

"Your request is not a lighthearted one, is it?" Urahara asked as he gently tapped his finger against his chin, a pensive expression on his face. His wandering gaze landed on the person standing in front of him. Despite Ichigo's aloof, insouciant appearance, his unfaltering eye contact was enough to convey the seriousness of his request. "Forgive my lack of faith, but you do fully grasp what you are asking, correct? A 'just kidding!' after the fact will hardly reconcile the danger you will be putting you and your friends in if I carry out what you're asking me."

"I know."

Urahara didn't even bother maintaining his usual playful grin as he continued to watch Ichigo. "Once I break the seal and his powers return, there is no taking lightly what he may do. He could still be loyal to Aizen. The last thing you want to give a man with a loaded gun is more bullets, especially one as destructive as this one." He motioned his hand at the unconscious body lying on the floor beside them.

Ichigo's eyes flared at Urahara's patronizing tone. "I know; I got it! I understand what I'm asking you! I've promised Renji, and I promise you: if anything goes wrong, I will take care of it." _Just do it soon, before I take it back._

If there was one thing Urahara learned about Ichigo from knowing him as long as he did, it was that once Ichigo set his mind on something, there was no swaying him. Even so, there were many times when he wanted to tell the substitute Shinigami that while his steadfastness and obdurate determination were some of his more shining qualities, they could also be the very ones to deeply wound him someday, if not destroy him. And today was one of those times. Urahara had lived long enough to see too many rising Shinigami end this way, but he also took comfort in the fact that Ichigo was not like other Shinigami.

Urahara sighed. "Kurosaki-san, I do not agree with what you're asking me to do, but if you keep your word, I will do it."

Ichigo then looked to the side, his gaze faltering for an instant. His previous fight with Grimmjow came to mind.

Once Ichigo had taken his stance, Grimmjow wasted no time in charging in his direction, sword gripped tightly in one hand. He swung his zanpakuto haphazardly, which moved heavily and sluggishly, as if the connection between wielder and blade had been completely severed. From his strained expression, Ichigo could see that Grimmjow was flailing, desperately grasping for victory as one would for air underwater. Ichigo knew that any blade swung with desperation would only meet defeat, and as he parried each of Grimmjow's attacks, he wondered if Grimmjow's pride could endure anymore, especially a loss against one of his most hated opponents.

"Come on, Shinigami!" Grimmjow shouted, a twisted smile on his face. He spat blood to the side. "Come at me with all you've got!"

However, Ichigo could see past his bravado. He noticed his uneven breathing and trembling hands. He heard the slight rattle of the hilt of Grimmjow's sword against the blade.

"What? Finished? Where's that ugly mask of yours? Put it on!"

"Stop it."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed in response. "I'll be damned if I let you tell me to!"

"Damn it, Grimmjow! You're not going to get anything from fighting me in the state that you're in!"

Then their gazes connected for one perfect second, and Ichigo saw it: an essence so raw through Grimmjow's eyes. He would never forget it. With a clear show of effort, Grimmjow leapt forward, pointing his sword straight at Ichigo's chest. "I'll never stop, Shinigami. I can't, I won't!"

As soon as Grimmjow had come within range, Ichigo knocked Grimmjow's sword out of his hands before dropping his own. He pulled Grimmjow close to him so that his head rested in the crook of the Espada's neck.

Before he had time to register Grimmjow's shock, Ichigo landed a heavy punch to his gut, knocking him unconscious. Ichigo couldn't help noticing that yet again, he was holding Grimmjow's unconscious body against his own and that as before, it felt just as warm. Ichigo ignored the sound of his friends' footfalls closing in on them. He gently laid Grimmjow's body on the ground.

At that moment, Ichigo knew what he had to: he had to get Grimmjow his powers back. He had never seen eyes so defeated and trapped and never wanted to again, especially if they belonged to Grimmjow.

Ichigo looked back at Urahara. "Please," he said earnestly.

Urahara examined Ichigo once more before responding, "Very well. It is your decision, and they will be your consequences," Urahara said before leading Ichigo inside. It began to thunder shortly thereafter.

* * *

Ishida opened the door to the school's rooftop with an obnoxious "humph!" He tilted his head upwards to look at the sky before turning around to stare at his orange-haired friend. "Damn it, Kurosaki, it's going to rain any moment now."

"No one forced you to come with us," Ichigo responded, sitting down and opening his lunch box.

"Fine, I'm going in," Ishida responded. But as he moved to head back down the staircase, Chad reached out his arm to block Ishida from proceeding.

"No."

Ishida glared back until he caught the meaningful look in Chad's eyes. He sighed and then returned to the rooftop. "Maybe it's not so bad," he said unenthusiastically before sitting down across from Ichigo. The latter was looking away, mechanistically chewing his food.

"I tried a new recipe today!" Inoue chirped. "It's got egg, scallions, ketchup… err, mirin? Maybe there's squid in there too… don't quite remember… would anyone like some? Kurosaki-kun?"

"No, thanks, Inoue," he said.

"Ishida-kun? Chad-kun?"

Ishida eyed it warily. "Not today, Inoue-san. Perhaps next time."

Chad shook his head. "No, thanks."

"Okay, then," Inoue said before putting the concoction into her mouth. Ishida stifled a flinch.

For the remainder of the lunch period, they ate silently in quiet companionship. As Ichigo sat there, trying to mentally and emotionally detach himself from his predicament with Grimmjow, he couldn't help but feel a copious amount of gratitude for his friends. Somewhere during their friendship, they had learned to just _know _when he needed support during times of trouble, when he needed time alone, when he needed quiet, when he needed distractions, and when he just wanted to be with them. They no longer needed words to express themselves—their presence alone were enough to communicate and understand. Perhaps it was because they had known each other for so long and had already memorized everyone's reiatsu signature. But Ichigo knew it was more than that, and he appreciated them for it. As they sat together silently on the rooftop that afternoon eating lunch together, he was thankful for the group of friends with whom he had been gracefully blessed. As if it were encouragement for their time spent together, it didn't rain after all as Ishida had feared, though the sky did remain bleak and grey. When Chad and Ishida stood up to leave, Ichigo stood up and said, "Thanks, you guys."

Chad nodded.

Ishida responded, "You know, if that son of a—"

"Gotcha. I'll call you. Thanks." He turned to look at Inoue. "Inoue, thanks."

"O-oh! No problem, Kurosaki-kun!" she said, slightly stumbling over her words. Inoue quickly straightened her skirt as she stood up, trying her best to suppress her blush. When she realized that she hadn't cleaned up her lunch yet, she felt the tips of her ears grow even warmer. "Oh, silly me. Oops…"

"I'll see you later, then," Ichigo said as e waved, walking back towards the staircase.

"Kurosaki-kun, wait!" Inoue clamped a hand over her mouth, inwardly scolding herself for blurting out (and for continuing to blush.) She wondered just how few more shades of red there were left before her head resembled a tomato.

"Yeah?"

She looked up, and before she could mentally articulate her thoughts into anything eloquent, she began to speak.

"I… I just wanted to tell you that if you needed anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. Well, it's pretty much what Ishida-kun said, but I just wanted to tell you as well."

"I know. I'm grateful for that."

"I know I'm not that intelligent… or strong or useful, really… sometimes I feel downright useless. But I really care about you. And though I know people sometimes find me annoying, you're patient with me and you're kind to me, and… well, I'd like to help you whenever you need it. You've saved me so many times, and I…" Inoue paused. "Okay, I think I said more than I should have." Inoue looked away. By the amount of heat enveloping her entire body now, she figured she resembled a fully ripe tomato by then. "All right… I've definitely said more than I planned to. Umm… see you soon, Kurosaki-kun!" Without even meeting his eyes, Inoue abruptly walked towards to the stairwell in a clear effort to avoid further interaction with Ichigo.

"Inoue!" Ichigo ran to catch up with her. "No, I appreciate it what you said. I really do."

Inoue smiled brightly.

Ichigo grinned. "Off to math?"

Inoue's smile widened. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

It was late into the night when he felt it. Ichigo was lying in bed (he had given up on his homework for that day—why do tonight what you could put off to tomorrow… morning? Ah, the procrastinator's manifesto!) when Grimmjow's familiar reiatsu abruptly flashed a few miles from his home. What worried him the most was not the fact that Grimmjow had most likely escaped Urahara's store—as opposed to being let free by said owner—but that he had all of his powers back. Ichigo envisioned an unending list of possibilities of what Grimmjow would do now that the seal was broken. The familiar flash of power filled the air again.

"Kon!"

The stuffed animal woke up from his nap on the desk. "What the—"

"Take my body, and if anyone comes up to check on me, act normal. Or, as normal as you can be." As soon as Ichigo reached for his Shinigami badge and transferred bodies, he immediately chased after Grimmjow's reiatsu signature.

As he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, Ichigo became increasingly anxious. _Did I do the wrong thing asking Urahara to return his powers?_

After all, what was his reason for asking Urahara to break the seal? Grimmjow certainly didn't merit his powers back; that much was for sure. Then…?

"Close one," he whispered when he recovered from a bad footing on the edge of the high school's roof. His thoughts were clearly distracting him.

_It was because I felt bad for him. Felt _bad_ for _him_!_ What kind of a reason was that for unleashing Grimmjow?

_A pretty damn bad one._

Clutching his zanpakuto, Ichigo traveled even faster.

* * *

It was a clear sky, much different from earlier that day. The clouds had dissipated and what was left in their wake was a blank slate, save a waning moon in the distance. Grimmjow closed his eyes and breathed in the night air. He spread his arms and bent his back, listening to the crack-crack-crack of his stiff spine. Tossing a brief a look over his shoulder, he grinned and continued the chase. He could feel the presence of a rogue Hollow ahead of him and was beyond excited to try out his reacquired powers—as well as to meet a certain substitute Shinigami, whom he could he feel chasing him, not far from behind.

"Catch me if you can, Shinigami," Grimmjow growled as he leapt away. Ichigo was a moving black speck in the distance.

When Grimmjow heard the clamorous cry of a Hollow, he stopped and searched for the source. "Gotcha, poor bastard," he growled, baring his teeth.

When the Hollow sensed his presence, it turned around to face him, deeming him the greater priority than the lost soul was then scrambling away. It cried loudly again in an act of intimidation.

"Screamin' like that ain't gonna win you a fight!" Grimmjow said, unsheathing his sword.

Just as the Hollow charged towards him, Grimmjow felt Ichigo enter the premise. He turned around to meet the substitute Shinigami in the eyes. "Watch this, Shinigami," he said.

In one moment, Grimmjow was in the air and in the next, he had managed to land behind the large, beastly form of the Hollow. There was a second of absolute stillness, before the Hollow fell over and split open. Ichigo gripped his sword more tightly as his heart began to beat more frantically. He had barely been able to follow Grimmjow's speed as the latter had cut the Hollow into two in one perfect swing of his blade. The Hollow began to disintegrate into nothing.

"What d'you think of that, Shinigami?" Grimmjow smirked, as he turned around.

Ichigo likened the Espada's stance to that of a predatory panther, one that had escaped and now turned his eyes to the fool who had incarcerated him in the first place. The tattooed six on his body suddenly shocked reality back into Ichigo's system. The sixth most powerful member of Aizen's army of Espada was standing in front of him, fully healed, and it was none other than Ichigo's own doing.

"What do you want? Now that you've got your powers back, what are you going to do?" Ichigo remembered his promise to Urahara and Renji.

"What do you think I'll do?"

Ichigo berated himself. "I was a fool, to think… never mind. I won't stop short this time."

Grimmjow looked amused. "You did last time; what'll change this time?" He swung his sword, admiring the way the moonlight glistened off the blade. "Humans are weak, inexorably so because of their emotions—their compassion, their sympathy, their sense of justice, their friendships, and their love towards others especially. It makes me sick."

"Cut the shit, what do you want?"

"I'm not so stupid that I'd throw what I just got back away."

Ichigo eyed him warily.

"As much as I hate you, I hate Aizen more. Thus, it'd only make sense that I devote my time to training before I return to Hueco Mundo and tear that son of a bitch apart before I kill you. In the meanwhile, why should I throw away a sparring partner like you? You promised, and I'm holding you to it." To Ichigo's surprise, Grimmjow then sheathed his sword.

Ichigo continued to look at him suspiciously. He gauged the likelihood that Grimmjow would pull a fast one and attack as soon as he himself dropped his guard.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I'm not askin' for your trust, Shinigami. That's the last thing I'd expect you to give me."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes before relaxing his stance. His head was throbbing with apprehension. When Grimmjow didn't move, he stood up and slackened his grip on his zanpakuto. He waited for any sudden movements from the other party, unnerved at the stillness between them.

When Grimmjow smirked and laughed, the latter of which sounded more humorous than menacing, Ichigo flinched, surprised at Grimmjow's reaction. Grimmjow locked gazes with Ichigo before speaking. "What were you expecting? Retaliationas soon as you turned around? Apparently you haven't figured from the twenty times before, but I don't play that way. I want people to know when I'm kickin' their ass." He put his hands in his pockets before looking away and spitting on the ground.

Ichigo blinked at the sudden change of atmosphere. Then, in spite of himself, Ichigo chuckled. Leave it to Grimmjow of all people to dissipate the tension like that.

Grimmjow furrowed his eyebrow at Ichigo's reaction. "What the hell, Shinigami? Why are you lookin' at me like that?"

"Nothing," he responded.

"Didn't look like nothin'."

"I'm heading back." Ichigo turned around and began walking back. He waited a second in silent anticipation; if Grimmjow were to attack, then this was the perfect opportunity since Ichigo had his back turned. When he heard only Grimmjow's guttural voice calling from behind, he released the breath he had unintentionally held in.

"Oi, I'm not taking that puny excuse for a closet. Then—"

"Floor."

"I'm going to kill you," Grimmjow responded but followed anyway.

End of Part IV

Author's Notes: I apologize for the long waits between each chapter, but I thank you for your patience and your kind, encouraging feedback! I'll put something special in the next part for you guys. Thank you again for reading, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you could drop a review!


	6. Part V

Date of Publication (Part V): 7/10/09

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Hugs and mega-thanks to Vicious-Loner, who beta-ed this part!

Gravity

Part V

By Rome OMD

Ichigo groaned when he heard the tattoo of footfalls downstairs. The morning sunlight poured into his room through his open window, and the quiet of Saturday mornings pervaded the usually busy streets outside. He covered his eyes with his forearm, trying to block out the sunlight and fall back asleep but quickly found that he was unable to.

"Ichi-nii, get out of bed and get down here for breakfast! Don't make Yuzu bring up your food, you lazy bum!" Karin called from downstairs.

"Coming," he replied sluggishly. When he stretched his arms and breathed in the crisp alfresco air, he smiled in anticipation of a good day coming. But as he moved to sit on the edge of his bed, his legs unexpectedly bumped into… someone else's leg? Cautiously, he pulled the covers to find…

"Grimmjow, get the _hell_ off my bed!"

"Just because you're awake doesn't mean everyone else is, too. How about you practice some courtesy, eh?" Grimmjow mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head.

"Courtesy my butt! What in the world are you doing on my bed? Get off! Get _off_!" Ichigo said as he tried to force Grimmjow off his mattress. Now that Grimmjow had regained his powers, he found maneuvering Grimmjow as he willed significantly more difficult than before.

"Onii-san!" Yuzu spoke from the other side of the door. "Otou-san, Karin, and I will be going out today, so I've prepared you brunch instead of just breakfast. Can I come in? It's a little heavy…"

Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Yeah, thanks, Yuzu. Just hold on a sec, okay?" Under his breath, he said to the Arrancar, "Get off _now_ or I will _Getsuga Tenshou _you out this window" and pointed at the means of defenestration for emphasis.

Visibly annoyed, Grimmjow sat up and asked, "Where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"Onii-san?"

"Get into the closet!" he said, pushing Grimmjow inside and then sliding the door shut. His body completely froze when he saw that Yuzu had somehow managed to get into his room while holding a tray and dragging something behind her. He quickly took the tray from her hands as she stepped inside. "You really didn't have to, Yuzu," Ichigo said, placing his food on his desk.

"It's nothing," she smiled. "Oh, and here's the laundry you left downstairs last night," she said as she pulled the hamper into the room behind her. "Have you been exercising a lot recently? Because there were a few sweat stains on some of your shirts that I had trouble cleaning the first time."

Ichigo heard the snicker from within the closet and roughly knocked on the wooden door to quiet the inhabitant inside.

"Here, I can put your clothes away for you while you eat. You should eat it while it's warm."

Ichigo rushed in front of his closet and took his clothing away from her. "No, no, really, it's okay. Thanks, I appreciate it, but I can do it on my own. I know you guys are in a rush, so don't worry about my laundry."

"Okay, then! See you later!" she said as she left and closed the door.

"Thanks for the food!" Ichigo called out. When the sound of her footsteps faded away, he exhaled a sigh of relief and shot a murderous look in the direction of the closet. "Why don't you stay in there for, say, the rest of the time you're here? You can even keep the shirts."

Ichigo was startled by the amount of force with which Grimmjow used to open the closet door when he heard the loud clack of wood against wood, but he maintained his glare as he watched the Arrancar step out.

"You've got a lame sense of style," Grimmjow said, pointing behind him.

Ichigo glared at him, for his sense of ashion happened to be something of importance to him. "Like what you say means anything, judging by that white ensemble you have on everyday."

"I used to be human, too, Shinigami, and I had a much better eye for style than you ever will."

"Narcissistic bastard," Ichigo muttered under his breath as he leaned against his desk and began eating his congee.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Never sleep on my bed again."

Grimmjow let out an audible sigh, disregarding Ichigo's last statement. "What the hell am I supposed to do? It reeks of mindless boredom here. Even Hueco Mundo was more entertaining if it was just for watching Tousen's pissed off face all the time."

"Why don't you go back then? No one's stopping you."

"What the hell can I gain from going back? Fight in a war whose outcome I care nil about?"

"Lucky you," Ichigo muttered. However, Grimmjow didn't miss his defeated tone and made a mental note to ask for details later.

Without looking at him, Ichigo continued to eat his breakfast and whimsically suggested, "Why don't you go destroy some Hollows. Lighten our load. You may enjoy that."

When he saw Grimmjow lick his teeth in response with an uncanny grin plastered on his face, Ichigo wondered if he would regret saying that. Perhaps the grey clouds outside meant something more than rain.

* * *

"Hey, Kurosaki!"

Ichigo looked up from his textbook. He was sitting under the shade of a tree in the schoolyard, studying for an exam that day when he heard Ishida call his name. Ishida was walking—no, stomping? Ichigo wondered—in his direction from across the lawn, so he shut his book for a mental respite.

"Where's Chad?"

"I believe he's with Inoue-san," Ishida replied, glancing at Ichigo as he sat beside him.

"Oh, I see. What's up?" Ichigo asked, stretching his arms.

"You've noticed, right? The number of Hollows has significantly decreased over the past few days. I presume that it is that Arrancar's doing?"

"Yeah, probably. Good for us, with spring finals and stuff, huh?"

"No."

At Ishida's blunt reply, Ichigo raised his hands as if surrendering. "Man, I was being sarcastic. Chill."

"What are you thinking? His powers aren't even sealed anymore! Do you know what this could mean? You're asking for the end of the world, Kurosaki."

"I thought the day just couldn't get any bleaker, but somehow, you've made it happen. Congratulations, Ishida," Ichigo said irritably. "Really, I'm not in the mood for your lectures today."

Ishida didn't even bother to hide or dampen his disapproval. "This is preposterous."

"It'll be fine. You're worrying over nothing."

"Am I really? Or am I being reasonable by extrapolating a plausible outcome based on his past history? You, on the other hand, just had a moment of softness."

In between irritation at Ishida and consideration for the Quincy's words, the question resounded in his head yet again: Was it because he had felt a moment of sympathy that compelled him to ask Urahara to return the Arrancar's powers or did Ichigo sense a genuine change in his attitude? Honestly, though, Ichigo didn't want the answer.

Though Ishida could sense the growing tension within Ichigo, he kept going nonetheless, words spilling from his mouth in his aggravation before he could restrain them. "You want to know what happened yesterday?"

Ichigo turned to look at him, an unspoken "Tell me" on his frowning lips.

"We don't know where the hell you were, don't know why you didn't respond to our calls, don't know why you didn't even bother to show up, but a high-level Hollow was having the time of its life downtown yesterday. Chad, Inoue-san, and I showed up—as did your ever-so-helpful Arrancar _friend_. And, surprise, surprise, it was because of that damn bastard that Inoue-san got injured and—" Ishida abruptly stopped, realizing that he had spoken too much. His words were like moths that had flown too high to be caught and taken back. Despite the rising strain between them, Ishida was still daring enough to meet Ichigo's eyes.

It was a moment before Ichigo responded. "How is she?" he asked softly.

"She's fine. She's resting at home, and since Chad doesn't have any exams today, he's probably with her now."

"Oh."

"So you see, Kurosaki—"

"What do you want me to do?" His defeated monotone quieted Ishida, leaving the latter twisting uncomfortably inside. "I saved him, he's here, and there's nothing I can do about it. I didn't blatantly ignore your calls yesterday. There was a group of Hollows on the opposite side of town. You don't get it. No one does." Ichigo ran his hands through his hair before leaning back against the tree behind him, looking upwards past the branches and leaves. Squares of white and grey alternated on his face as the leaves above them shuffled with the passing breeze.

"You don't know how many times Hueco Mundo has replayed in my head. You don't know how many different scenarios I've come up with where I do this or that differently. I see my failure almost every day, and I can only imagine how many people are losing their lives because of me. People like Renji and Rukia are cleaning up after my mess, fighting to survive, while I sit here worrying aobut a freakin' math test. So many times, I've though, 'If I were just stronger…', but what can I do now? And to top it all off, there's Grimmjow. Damn it, what if I made the wrong...?" He rested his head against his bent knees.

Ishida looked away to the distance, watching students walk across the quad and teachers conversing with each other. "We'll never know what could've happened. All we can do is press on forward with whatever we've gained from the past. Kurosaki, I don't understand why you think this is primarily your burden. We were there too and were affected in the same way. But what I think we need to do now is trust in our friends like Renji and Rukia and hope that the rest of the Gotei 13 will get in their right minds before it's too late. We may not be able to support them in battle now, but we can support them in spirit. That's the least we owe them."

"It's hard, you know, just waiting."

"Maybe it's because we're left time to think about the consequences of our past actions and to plan our future ones. Sometimes it's just easier to swing a sword and make things happen."

Ichigo didn't feel any less of the burden he carried from Hueco Mundo alleviate at Ishida's words, but he found the energy to smile, something he previously found difficult to even feign. He nodded in appreciation when Ishida laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a bit for reassurance.

"Plus, if you're pining for something to occupy your time with, why don't you do something about that Arrancar? Train with him or something. He used to be a member of Aizen's highest ranks after all. It'd be good for us all, if you know what I mean."

"You could be right."

"I _am_ right," Ishida responded, jokingly smug. The bell rung and the two walked to class together.

When he finished his exam that afternoon, Ichigo jumped out of his chair, startling a few of his classmates sitting nearby, and released a loud, satisfying sigh before swinging his schoolbag over his shoulder and heading towards the door. He offered a wave to his friends at their desks before walking out.

"Ichigo! Yo, where are you going! Wait up!" Keigo shouted as he messily scrambled to put his school materials in his bag. "I thought we were going to hang out this afternoon!"

Just as he was about to step away, he felt something tugging at his shirt and turned around to find Ishida holding his collar with one hand and adjusting his glasses with the other. "He's busy, leave him alone."

Keigo audibly huffed and irascibly scrunched his face. Ishida thought he looked about fifty years older with all those additional ripples on his forehead. "And how would _you_ know?" he asked, punctuating the "you" with a long drawl and pushing against Ishida's chest with his pointer finger. "Me and Ichigo happened to be great friends, but since you've formed your tight-knit, always-together, friends-forever group, my bonding time with Ichigo has been spliced to zilch! I may not be as close to him as _you_ are, but at least I'm not in the knitting club!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing and everything!"

"When this winter passes, he'll have more than enough time to hang out with you to his great misfortune, I assure you."

"Okay, sure, Crochet-king."

The Quincy rolled his eyes before gathering his materials and walking away. Then, when he was out of sight, he quickly checked to make sure none of his crocheting tools were sticking out of his bag before sauntering down the hallway.

* * *

"So, Shinigami, how much longer?" Grimmjow asked. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he shifted to observe his surroundings with a curiosity akin to that of a child in a candy store. The two of them had been walking down a long, sinuous (and magically lit, they noted) stairwell in what seemed was a black abyss for quite some time. "This better be worth it. I could be doing a lot more with my time than spending an hour with you walking down the stairs. If you wanted to bond so badly, all you had to do was ask."

Ichigo could hear the grin form on the Arrancar's face. He was tempted to punch Grimmjow right in the gut. Well, if he had one.

"You blushing yet?"

Ichigo chose to ignore that. "Huh, it used to be long ladder down. I guess this is a little easier. I guess I'd rather walk forever than climb forever."

"So, training ground, eh?"

"You'll like it. There's nothing in sight for miles on end. You can blow stuff up like a maniac there and no one will chastise you for it." Ichigo had never bothered to understand, therefore didn't even attempt to explain to Grimmjow, how Urahara had managed to build so vast a practice ground under his shop. He was sure there were just some things in life you weren't meant to ever comprehend.

"Excellent," Grimmjow replied. "And it belongs to the same guy who sealed my powers? At least he likes to blow stuff up in big open spaces."

"Not really." Ichigo thought back to his first training session with Urahara.

"So, what d'you bribe him with? He doesn't seem like the type to give things out for free."

"Oh, hey, I think I can see it," Ichigo remarked, blatantly ignoring Grimmjow's question. They quickened their pace, anticipation reverberating in their footfalls as they continued their descent.

_After school, Ichigo had walked straight to Urahara's and was surprised at seeing Urahara interacting with a female customer at the storefront. Customers were far and very few in between, and in all his acquaintance with Urahara, he could probably count the total number of visiting customers on just one hand. Nevertheless, Urahara somehow managed to financially support himself. Sometimes, Ichigo tried to figure out how this was possible. In addition to himself, Urahara had to support three other people in his household, not including freeloaders. It seemed nearly impossible with whatever profits he made from the store. Perhaps past savings? Or even the black market? He had some sketchy things in stock anyway. But then again, if his sad excuse for a father could run a clinic and manage to support himself and three kids, Ichigo presumed that Urahara could too. Who knew how? Underneath their bizarre personalities, Ichigo was sure that there was more than what met the eye when it concerned the two, and it was beyond him to understand how they managed to do it all._

_When Urahara finished his transaction with the customer, he tipped his striped hat and bid her farewell with a charming "Thank you for your purchase! You and your gorgeous smile are always welcome here!"_

"_Oh, the charmer you are," Ichigo said as he walked up._

"_Kurosaki-san, we treat our customers with the utmost hospitality and courtesy and well, she was quite attractive, wouldn't you agree?" He then opened his fan and began to use it, from which a gentle zephyr occasionally traveled far enough to shift Ichigo's sleeve._

"_So, we want to use your training ground. You know, the one you have under your shop."_

"_Where have our manners run off to? What happened to asking for something instead of demanding it? And who is this 'we'?"_

_Ichigo wanted to slap himself at Urahara's facetiousness. Sometimes talking with him was like trying to pin down a fly. He'd speak circles around you before getting to the point. And like a fly, he was annoying._

"_I know you're going to let me use it, so I might as well skip the formalities. And you clearly know who 'we' is."_

_At this, Urahara's smile broadened widely, and his eyes glinted with something that the ex-substitute Shinigami couldn't quite pinpoint. However, the latter had learned to read this as something that usually didn't work in his favor. "Of course you can, Kurosaki-san," the store owner replied, his voice unusually silky._

"_All right, thanks. We'll be back sometime later today." Before Ichigo turned to leave, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Didn't this feel familiar?_

"_Hold on, Kurosaki-san."_

Here it goes_._

"_I have something to ask of you. When he is with you and even when he is not, keep an eye on him. I would even add that you get into his good graces, for both the obvious reason and the unobvious one. He may be of significant use to us, such as in providing or even obtaining information that we may use to our advantage this coming winter." Urahara gave him one more meaningful look before smiling and turning around and gleefully exclaiming, "Another customer! My lucky day! And don't you look beautiful in that color?"_

"Pretty impressive, Shinigami," Grimmjow said as he and Ichigo walked into a seemingly endless expanse of land below Urahara's shop. For as far as he could see, there were only sky and land. There were no other beings save the two of them in what seemed was all the space in the world.

"I still don't know why you're so worked up about fighting in the city. Don't you think it'd improve our precision if we fought in a real-life setting?"

"Our sparring sessions aren't worth people's lives."

"To _you_," Grimmjow added. He jumped into the air and stretched his limbs as far as they would go, a _crack-crack-crack_ following when he bent his back. With a liberating sigh, he promptly flew away, enjoying the wind against his face and the ability to finally move around without any sort of inhibition. Nothing could stop him now, no Aizen, no Ulquiorra, no war, no people, no buildings, no gravity, nothing.

Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow's disappearing dot before searching for his Shinigami badge. When he found it, he quickly assumed bankai, knowing that—

"I wouldn't have expected anything less, Shinigami," Grimmjow said as his first punch was deflected by Ichigo's now unsheathed sword. He was grinning manically, his eyes gleaming belligerently as the onset of a good spar loomed just around the corner.

Ichigo leapt back and maintained a stoic expression, concealing his surprise at being caught off-guard. He'd let Grimmjow think that his deflection was intentional.

"You cannot even begin to fathom how great I feel right now, Shinigami! You may have just made my century."

"Glad to know you're in my debt."

The Espada rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before stepping onto the ground. He briefly licked his canines before saying, "Are you ready to get some heavy ass-kickin'?"

"I'll let you after an hour. I wouldn't want your self-esteem to plunge any more."

Grimmjow's laugh pierced the air. It was the same amused laugh from when Ichigo had met him for the first time in the streets of Karakura.

"Cocksure as always! I like that. Prepare yourself, Shinigami!" And with that, Grimmjow charged towards him and Ichigo mirrored his move, the collision of two unstoppable forces just moments away.

For the next few weeks, Ichigo spent his evenings over at Urahara's practice grounds sparring with Grimmjow. (Of course, excluding the nights when a rogue Hollow was in town.) They spent the time sharpening each other's skills; within just a couple of weeks of casual sparring, they began to fight in bankai and released forms. One hardly ever emerged as victor over the other due to their intimate understanding of each other's fighting styles; their sparring battles mostly ended in ties.

Additionally, their spars acted as a means with which they vented their pent-up (and sometimes not) frustration from having to co-exist in such close quarters in Ichigo's room. There was always too little space and too much noise and too much of Ichigo's reiatsu. ("Either learn to control your damn reiatsu or keep it on your side of the room. I can't even begin to describe how creepy it is when it's crawling up my skin when I sleep!") Ichigo sometimes wondered how or why neither his sisters nor his father had ever come to his room to shut them up, although there was this one instance when Karin had said through his bedroom door, "Who are you fighting with?"

"I'm on the phone talking to Ishida," Ichigo had lied, as he sat with his arms crossed, glaring at the equally irate figure sitting on his bed.

But then again, though they still argued and fought, they had learned to also act somewhat courteous to one another. Not all of their conversation involved curses anymore, to the surprise of both.

And sometimes in the late of the night, when Grimmjow had invaded his bed and he still had homework to finish, Ichigo would wonder why Grimmjow still remained on earth, staying with him of all people. They weren't the best of friends, after all. So one day, he asked.

"You kickin' me out?" Grimmjow responded.

"I didn't do anything except ask a question." Ichigo could see Grimmjow grow slightly uneasy, his body tensing for the briefest moment. "You don't have to answer, you know. I was just curious."

"Where else could I go?"

His voice was so soft and rueful that Ichigo could hardly believe that the answer had actually originated from him. But what struck him more was the feeling buried in that question, and he understood a little more. Grimmjow was alone, maybe even lonely, and his being with Ichigo was the closest thing to companionship he had had since working under Aizen, when he had served someone else's purpose and had brought meaning to another's life, not his own.

But now, in a teenager's modest bedroom in Karakura, Grimmjow had found a little more meaning in his existence. He had found it being with Ichigo. When Ichigo realized this, he never spoke of it aloud. Their understanding resonated in the quiet between them then.

* * *

It was another routine evening. Ichigo had returned home, done his homework, and now he was sparring with Grimmjow at Urahara's training grounds.

"Let's finish for tonight," Ichigo suggested, relaxing his stance.

"Giving up already?"

"You know as well as I do that with no legit reason to kill each other anymore, we don't need to shed blood and tears over a spar. Plus, I have a final at the end of the week."

"Ah, that explains your deteriorating skill."

The Arrancar just loved pushing his buttons, didn't he? Ichigo sheathed his sword and turned to head home. "I'm leaving."

"You go on ahead. Leavin' after a warm-up just ain't my style."

"And locking the house."

"We can make it up tomorrow. You're lookin' a bit soft in the arms."

"You can sleep outside," Ichigo called over his shoulder. He visibly smirked when he heard Grimmjow grudgingly follow behind. However, it took only a few steps for him to realize that something was wrong with his Espada companion. He turned to see that Grimmjow was still in his _Pantera_ form. His gaze was averted, and his posture was slightly slouched.

"What the hell are you lookin' at, Shinigami?"

"You okay?"

"As flattered as I am, I have little need for your petty concern. Go back to your pretty little house and family, Shinigami. I can take care of myself." Ichigo ignored him and walked to his side before asking him to sit down on a nearby boulder. When he reached for Grimmjow's arm, the latter pulled away like someone would from a hot stove. "What the hell—hands _off_."

Ichigo promptly punched him in the chest, causing Grimmjow to immediately stagger backwards before massaging the hurt area to assuage the pain.

"Shit, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"That was with my left hand. You're probably still healing from yesterday. You want to rest this week or something?" Ichigo asked, genuinely concerned. However, knowing Grimmjow, he would probably fabricate something derisive in Ichigo's tone and throw it back at him.

"I'm fine, but if you need to, I'm not going to stop you." He tried to smirk, but even in the way he did so, there was evident strain on his face.

"Quit it with the asshole attitude, Grimmjow! I didn't bring you back here so that you could get beat up by your own stubbornness and then get killed by some low-class Hollow that happens to be passing by you like this."

"'Che." Grimmjow turned away, his brows furrowed together. He looked almost like a petulant child.

Then an idea formed in Ichigo's head. "What's it like going into your released form?"

Before answering, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at the substitute Shinigami. He met the latter's inquisitive gaze with contempt. "Like your human growing pains."

"That why you don't change back and forth freely?"

"Hurts like hell, especially in the ass, where I get a tail, Dr. Strawberry." He spat on the ground. "What would you know? You Shinigami change into pretty costumes with shiny new weapons when you release bankai. For us, it involves transforming our very muscles and bones. You never get used to the pain, but it's always worth the fight."

Ichigo let his gaze travel down Grimmjow's body. He flinched forward abruptly when he felt something whack him hard across the back of the head. "What the hell—?"

"Stop staring."

"What? I wasn't…!" Ichigo replied but could hardly suppress the oncoming flush surreptitiously creeping onto his face and neck.

"It's almost as bad as your damn reiatsu. Learn to control that thing. It creeps up on me every freakin' night and… ha! You're blushing again! Dude, does that girl know? You ought to tell—" And as before, Grimmjow grabbed his nose.

"Shut up and lean back. I'm gonna help you." He immediately noticed the apprehension and distrust in Grimmjow's eyes. And how the way the light reflected in them looked like golden crescent moons shining in water. "You wanna live with the pain? I'm offering only once, and it'll be your loss." After a moment of hesitation, Grimmjow did as he was told, all the while staring warily as Ichigo moved beside him.

The ex-substitute Shinigami reached for Grimmjow's leg and placed it on his lap as gingerly as he could (and as platonically as he could; a ghost of a blush still lingered on his face) before he began to massage it. It began awkwardly, but as he fell into a rhythm and began to focus on his task, the awkwardness slid away as Grimmjow noticeably eased up and closed his eyes.

The short black hairs of Grimmjow's fur were surprisingly soft and delicate, tickling the surface of Ichigo's hand at each touch. (He also noticed that because of the warm weather, Grimmjow was also slightly shedding. Ichigo tried to ignore the tufts of hair floating away.) He smoothly petted the length of the fur down Grimmjow's calves, tacitly admiring the way each strand finely brushed against his fingers, washing past like a gentle wave.

Should it have been awkward when Ichigo held Grimmjow's feet (or paws)? Whether or not, the former found that it wasn't. They were relatively small and deceptively delicate in comparison to the Arrancar's large frame. And, without betraying anything with his face, Ichigo tacitly enjoyed the way they perfectly fit within his palms and how he could weave his fingers between each digit.

And when he let his thoughts continue further, Ichigo found that he liked being with Grimmjow like this. Not that he would admit this out loud to anyone, including himself, ever.

The scene remained very still save the movement of Ichigo's hands. Some time later, he realized that Grimmjow was asleep, his mouth hanging open and his brow furrowed and his chest rising up and falling down in time with his breathing. They should probably leave.

Maybe just a bit longer.

End of Part V

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review!


	7. Part VI

Date of Publication (Part VI): 1/8/10

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes. (And additional disclaimer for whatever insanity has resulted in this story because of BEG's "Abracadabra" replaying on my computer over and over… and over again… Curse the catchy dance!)

Thank you, Vicious, for beta-ing! Oh, I'm so lucky to have such a great beta!

Gravity

Part VI

By Rome OMD

Renji used to dream. Whenever he dreamed, especially when he was younger, he always dreamt of things greater than what he had. He dreamt of lands faraway and adventures beyond the horizon, lying just outside of his reach. He dreamt of maidens to be rescued and kingdoms to be conquered and handsome rewards to be had. But not all of his dreams were so grandiose; sometimes, they were just as simple: dreams of beds softer than the stiff wooden boards he shared with his friends or dreams of a lifestyle nobler than the one he had, where he pilfered off of others in order to survive.

But most recently, Renji hadn't dreamt at all. Ever since he and Rukia had helped Ichigo and the rest escape with the Espada, the two of them had been on the run from Soul Society's police forces. Accused of treason and endangering both Soul Society and the human world, the two saw no way out other than to run. (Hanataro, however, had not been accused, and thus remained safely within Seireitei. Or, rather, when within the Fourth Division's headquarters; Soi Fong seemed quite anxious to extract as much information as she could from him about their whereabouts.)

After packing whatever provisions they could before another round of guards arrived at Renji's office, he and Rukia left through a secret escape route of which only the Sixth Division knew. When they finally reached the border between Seireitei and the wilderness, they saw the silhouette of none other than Byakuya blocking their path.

"Taichou!" Renji called out, fearing the battle that would imminently ensue between them. "If we have to—"

But to their surprise, Byakuya wordlessly stepped out of the way, their escape route now wide open for them. They hesitated for only a moment before Rukia said, "Onii-sama, thank you."

"Go," Byakuya said. His eyes were closed and he did not look at them, but his verbal acquiescence was enough. The two ran past him and did not turn to look back until he was only speck in the distance.

Since then, they spent their days and nights traveling, with brief periods of rest far and few in between. They never spent more than a few days in one place, lest they ever be tracked down. Already, they had encountered more close calls than they thought comfortable, especially considering their high-level shinigami training background.

The night after they escaped from Seireitei, Renji asked Rukia, "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't ya open a portal to the human world? Ichigo'll take us in. It definitely beats runnin' around here."

She looked at him forlornly before responding, "I've already tried. They've closed off all possible portals out of Soul Society. We're stuck with running away this time, Renji."

The news struck a rather hard blow for Renji. However, rather than letting this amplify the hopelessness of their situation, Renji changed the subject as he shifted on the ground. "Wonder what that bastard's doing right now?"

"That was a bit random. Why are you thinking of Ichigo now?"

"I don't know. I like to think about things happening far away. Helps take my mind away from everything I've got to deal with here, I guess."

"Oh. I don't know what he's doing."

"Maybe I'll dream about it tonight," Renji said.

"Maybe, if we ever get any sleep."

Because how could one dream without sleep? In the beginning, they spent their first few days and nights traveling with hardly any breaks in between. But while the first few sleepless nights were at least bearable, each successive night without sleep stressfully pushed them to the boundaries of their physical and mental capacities. After their first close call with Soi Fong's Special Forces, neither could sleep for fear that they be caught. The vicious cycle would then continue into the day; each sleepless night increasingly impaired their movements and judgment the following day, which resulted in even more close calls. Then, vivid memories of such encounters would render them too nervous to sleep during the night.

After the exhaustion had become unbearable, they decided to sleep in shifts beginning with tonight. Rukia was up, scouting the nearby area for any possible signs of the police, which meant that Renji was sleeping on the ground by their provisions for the first time in weeks. Sleep came upon him like a soft, comforting blanket.

And also for the first time in weeks, he dreamt. He dreamt of several things, but he would only remember the last part of his dream: a hand firmly grabbing his own outstretched hand amidst the darkness… only that when he woke up, the hand which grabbed his wasn't a friend's like he had imagined but Soi Fong's as she smirked into his stunned face and said, "Found you."

* * *

"No… no… let them go! Stop!" Ichigo panted as he suddenly woke up. He looked around to find himself in his bedroom, not in a forest in Soul Society as he had just dreamt. Sweat steadily trickled from the base of his neck down his back, where it uncomfortably stuck to his shirt. It suddenly felt too warm, so he reached over to the window, maneuvering around Grimmjow's sleeping form next to him, and opened it, the cold air calming him with a cool embrace. The clock read 6:15 AM.

"What the hell was that?"

Ichigo thought it was himself who had asked the question until he noticed Grimmjow shifting beside him and gazing up at him with his usual half-lidded and pissed off "Why the hell did you wake me up?" look. But was there also a bit of… concern?

"Dream," Ichigo answered.

"What about?"

Ichigo couldn't remember the exact details and yet it had been so vivid in his mind just a few minutes ago. All he recalled was the forest setting, which he was sure was a part of Soul Society, and two people who had been ambushed by what seemed like an endless army. Everything else remained a blur. And for some reason, Ichigo felt worried, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason behind his anxiety.

"Nothing. Sorry about waking you up."

Grimmjow looked back with meaningful eyes that saw through Ichigo's lies but he spoke nothing of it. Instead of harping on the subject, the two went back to sleep afterwards.

When he woke up again that morning, Ichigo felt autumn lingering just around the corner as a cool breeze blew through his open window. Feeling a surge of goose bumps ripple through his body, he moved to shut the window until he found his reach obstructed by another sleeping body. "You," he called to Grimmjow. Curling back under the covers, he elbowed Grimmjow. "Close the window," he mumbled.

Grimmjow simply grunted before turning over and shifting closer to Ichigo. "It ain't bothering me. You do it."

"You're closer," Ichigo responded but reached over to close it anyway. He tiredly leaned on his bent knees before turning towards Grimmjow and saying, "How about you scoot over a little bit. This looks just a bit wrong." In his head, Ichigo tried to remember when the two of them sharing the same bed ever become the norm and more importantly, when he had ever consented to this arrangement.

"You only wish you could have a piece of this," Grimmjow replied, a little more awake than before.

"Oh, you're still dreaming. I'll try to be quiet as I change," Ichigo said, swinging his legs to the side of the mattress. As soon as he moved to get up, however, a hand abruptly reached out and grabbed onto his, stopping him from fully standing up. Ichigo followed the arm to Grimmjow's face, whose blue eyes were steadily staring back into his.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ichigo asked. In response, Grimmjow's hold tightened and only after a few moments did he let go before turning onto his side to face the opposite direction.

Startled, Ichigo went to prepare for school as normally as he could while ignoring the unanswered questions and confusion flooding his mind. He was just about to ask Grimmjow directly, but when he turned around, the Espada was gone and left in his absence an open window.

* * *

The Monday morning classroom was silent save the teacher's endless drawl and the sound of chalk tapping and intermittently screeching against the board. By this point in class, most of the students had already stopped paying attention, only reflexively scribbling important facts and dates into their notebooks. Ichigo was not an exception, as he rested his chin against the palm of his hand. He found himself unable to concentrate whatsoever, the memory of what had happened that morning repeating over and over again in his head like a broken record.

"Ichigo, hey, pay attention. The teacher's looking at you funny," Tastuki whispered from the seat behind him.

"Wha—yeah, okay," he replied, still hardly paying attention. Tatsuki rolled her eyes and poked him once on the back with her pencil before continuing with her notes.

He scribbled a few important points here and there into his notebook but ended up spending most of class looking out into the school's courtyard. As he watched the janitor outside cleaning up the fallen leaves, Ichigo recalled this morning once again, remembering the way Grimmjow had reached for his hand. Since then, his mind had been occupied with questions, but only one in particular kept repeating itself: "Why?" There were several possible answers. For instance, maybe Grimmjow merely wanted to get his attention, but that didn't explain why he didn't speak or immediately let go when Ichigo turned around to face him. Or maybe Grimmjow had one of those muscle spasms where your body twitches or does something without your mental consent, but that still didn't explain why he didn't speak or immediately let go. Or maybe Grimmjow was trying to comfort him after his nightmare last night, but Ichigo thought that that was a rather strange way for the Arrancar to offer comfort. And none of these answers even began to explain the overwhelming emotion swimming within Grimmjow's eyes. That was the most unnerving part.

Amid other reasons, excuses, and lame answers, there was only one that Ichigo feared to entertain. He could only imagine the repercussions such an answer, if it happened to be the true answer, would bring to their lives, which was why he refused to think about it. And yet…

His eyes widened when he saw Grimmjow perching on a tree not too faraway, again staring back at him. Grimmjow's eyes held the same intensity as they did earlier, and Ichigo found himself returning to asking the same questions that plagued his mind this morning. He also found himself admiring how starkly his blue hair contrasted with the surrounding auburn leaves.

This was when the teacher called him out on his failure to pay attention in class and sent him to stand outside in the hallway.

Later that day, Ichigo waited for Grimmjow to return. He sat at his desk chair, mindlessly tapping his pencil against his desk. After spending the past couple hours organizing his thoughts, Ichigo was now determined to straight out ask Grimmjow about this morning. Whatever it meant, Ichigo simply wanted to know, and the desire only increased the longer the answer was withheld from him.

At the unexpected ringing of his cell phone, Ichigo nearly tumbled backwards on his chair. "Eh, Ishida?" Ichigo asked when he picked up.

"Get your lazy ass over here. Hollow_s_," Ishida replied, placing special emphasis on the "s".

"What? Is the great Quincy actually asking me for help? Or did you really miss me that much?"

"Yes, I miss you, and I'm lonely for your companionship. NO! Get over here now, Kurosaki," Ishida said before hanging up.

Ichigo smirked as he grabbed his Shinigami badge. When he stepped through the windowsill, he thought twice about closing his window. Hoping that someone would be in his room when he returned, he left it open.

However, he would later return only to an empty bedroom, nothing touched, nothing moved, no one there.

* * *

The end of the week came not too soon. To Ichigo, time had never passed as slowly as it did those few days. He had waited all week for Grimmjow to appear but to no avail. Every time he returned to his room, after school or training at Urahara's or a night of hunting Hollows, it had been empty, left just as Ichigo remembered before heading out.

He knew Grimmjow was avoiding him. The Arrancar wasn't hurt; he wasn't even far away. The question was why (_Yet again, _Ichigo noted). Every now and then, when Ichigo walked down the street, an unexpected waft of familiar reiatsu would pass by and tickle his senses like a feather upon skin. But as soon as he turned to find the source, it would disappear as abruptly as it had appeared. And if Ichigo had to be honest, it got really annoying really quickly; once he had even shouted out to the general vicinity, "Damn it, I know you're there! Get out here! This ain't fair for someone who's reiatsu-handicapped! There, I admit it!" (He swore he heard a smirk in response. _Bastard thinks I didn't hear that_, Ichigo growled as he continued walking.)

Ichigo learned to wait but not to expect. Grimmjow needed his time, and he'd show up sooner or later. And finally, one night Grimmjow did.

If Ichigo ever chose to look back at that night, he would've described it as surreal. He remembered many dark blues and blacks and grays. There were no distinct lines, no distinct forms, and everything blurred together harmoniously like a pleasant dream. The night was clear, the moon luminescent in its fullness. The shadows of the trees and lampposts outside lambently danced in Ichigo's room. The window rattled with the occasional breeze. It was one of those nights that you didn't want to end.

Even as beautiful as the night was and how much he would've liked to just sit there and bask in the tranquility, Ichigo could not ignore the pile of homework waiting on his desk. He closed his eyes and leaned backwards against his chair before taking a deep breath and attacking the worksheets trapped beneath his paperweight.

Before he had even finished one, he felt a familiar reiatsu presence nearby and this time, when Ichigo turned to the source, it did not disappear. Grimmjow was crouching on the windowsill, appearing too large for that small space. The moonlight hid in shadows the majority of his body but pooled his head in light, highlighting the prominent angles and scars of his face yet simultaneously illuminating the almost white expanse of his skin. Secretly captivated, Ichigo could not take his eyes off the figure in front of him.

Grimmjow swiftly leapt from the windowsill, landing right by Ichigo's desk. Ichigo picked up something from his desk and threw it at the Arrancar.

"What is this?"

"I brought it up from dinner," Ichigo answered, "It's an apple."

"You daft fool, I'm not a Shinigami," Grimmjow replied before throwing it out behind him.

Ichigo merely rolled his eyes. "It was a joke." He paused, the silence between them slowly stretching into something resembling awkwardness. He wanted to ask, "Where the hell have you been?" but was cut off when Grimmjow began to move towards him. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked as his eyes uneasily darted around Grimmjow's nearing figure. Blood began to pound heavily in his head like a drum, the thump of each beat getting quicker and stronger.

Grimmjow soon stood over him, leaning forward so that his face was just barely inches above Ichigo's. He held one hand by Ichigo's cheek and placed the other on Ichigo's still hand.

When he spoke, Grimmjow's voice was huskier than the ex-Shinigami had ever heard it before. "I didn't know what this is, until I remembered… from when I was alive. And I tried… for a week, I tried, but I couldn't get rid of this... couldn't even run away. I had to come back… to you… you, Shinigami, of all people..."

With each word he spoke, he had gravitated closer and closer to Ichigo, and now the two were barely a breath apart from one another. And without another word, Grimmjow closed the distance between them and kissed him.

The sensation of Grimmjow's warmth upon Ichigo came upon him like a rushing tide; it enraptured him from above and he could do nothing but drown within it. He felt Grimmjow pouring into him his personal revelations of the past week, the truth behind what had happened that morning and the reason behind his disappearance. But it was so overwhelming that Ichigo initially didn't know how to respond to such an admission.

Grimmjow must've sensed his stillness for he pulled away soon thereafter, his eyes, which held a hint of sadness, averted. Clearly exasperated with himself, he whispered something incomprehensible before turning away.

When Ichigo realized Grimmjow was leaving again, he quickly called out, "Hey, wait! Grimmjow!"

The Arrancar jumped towards the windowsill.

"No, wait!" Only when the Espada felt Ichigo's hand on his shoulder did he turn to look back. Ichigo almost flinched at the rawness present in Grimmjow's eyes when the latter looked back. There had only been one other time when he had seen Grimmjow as vulnerable as he was now. It had been after his loss against the low-level Hollow, when he had been stripped of his powers. Ichigo couldn't stand the melancholy then and he couldn't now.

Holding Grimmjow's face with both hands, Ichigo brought him closer until their foreheads were leaning against each other. Without another moment's hesitation, he pulled them together, gingerly kissing him again, a seeming perfect fit like the last piece to a puzzle. He closed his eyes and lost himself in Grimmjow's redolence. It felt odd but also oddly mesmerizing, Ichigo thought, and suddenly, he wanted more. Alas, he threw caution out the window and kissed even deeper, partially due to Grimmjow's lack of response, which made Ichigo crave it even more.

When he opened his eyes, Ichigo was staring back into eyes half-lidded but awake nonetheless, the blue of Grimmjow's eyes shining like the ocean in moonlight. Without hesitation, Ichigo closed his eyes and met his lips once again, savoring like honey Grimmjow's fervent response this time around.

He pushed Ichigo backwards onto his bed, the latter circling his arms around Grimmjow's head, hands full of his blue hair that pushed them closer to each another. Grimmjow's hands languidly traveled down Ichigo's back to hold his waist and then they moved in order to touch and feel even more.

When they let go, they both fell apart with heavy breaths, the tips of their noses just barely touching. Ichigo broke the silence and said, "Sorry, I'm just a bit slow… meant to do that the first time… and you were about to go away before I could…"

Something in Grimmjow's eyes joyfully glinted as he replied, "Excuses, excuses," before leaning down to kiss Ichigo again. "You just couldn't resist a piece of this."

"Go on and humor yourself," Ichigo replied as he planted kisses along Grimmjow's jaw. His homework lay forgotten on his desk. He had done enough studying anyway.

* * *

"Goodnight, Ururu," Urahara smiled as he watched her walk to her room.

"Goodnight," she replied sweetly, disappearing upstairs.

In the silence, Urahara rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, his tiredness finally catching up with him. Even in this late hour, he still had one more thing to check, to do, before he could rest for the day. He made his way downstairs to where the training grounds were located.

Intuition told him that he needed to be down there right now. He predicted the unannounced arrival of a friend from Soul Society. It had been too long since he had last heard from her, and this had greatly worried him. In addition, the fact that the portal between the human world and Soul Society was closed signified something amiss. Knowledge of the upcoming winter war creeping closer provided no solace for him either.

Despite the nighttime darkness outside, the sun shone within the vast training area as if it was day. He walked a few hundred feet into the grounds and waited. Minutes passed, but he knew something was about to happen. If he could boast one trait, it would be that his intuition never failed him.

And as expected, he felt a disturbance within the area's spiritual energy before he heard a woman coughing, almost gagging, nearby. "Yoruichi-san!" he called out as he quickly ran towards her.

She lay on the ground, sweat and blood trickling freshly on her skin. She was clutching her arm, and her eyes were shut tightly in pain. "Kisuke…" she whispered.

"What is it?" he asked as he carried her into his arms.

"Help… we need…"

"What?"

But before anymore could be said, Yoruichi fainted.

End of Part VI

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading this chapter! I promise that the updates and the end will come to this story, but they will just be slow in between. Please drop a review and have a Happy New Year!


	8. Part VII

Date of Publication (Part VII): 6/18/10

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Sorry, this is un-beta'd! Please excuse the mistakes but do not hesitate to inform me!

(There's also quite a bit of skinship in here, so heads up. I couldn't help it; when Rain won an MTV Movie Award, I had to celebrate somehow.)

Gravity

Part VII

By Rome OMD

When they heard the nearing footsteps getting louder, the group gathered by the entrance of Urahara's store momentarily paused their discussion to look at the arriving party. They waved when they realized who it was. Inoue was breathless as she stopped running a few paces before the entrance, walking the rest of the way. She was loosely holding onto a cloth-bound package.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" she apologized when she reached them.

"What happened?" Ishida asked, waiting as everyone else began walking into the store.

Inoue blushed. "I wanted to make some snacks for today's meeting, but I ended up messing up a little bit. The baking oven wasn't too cooperative today. Neither was the stove… then I tried the microwave oven, but I think the aluminum foil…" she began, gradually trailing off.

Ishida worriedly looked at her the moment she conjointly mentioned the aluminum foil and microwave oven. "But it wasn't a complete mess-up, I'm sure?" Ishida said, pointing at her package.

"Oh, these are bought," Inoue chirped.

As the last to enter his store, Urahara asked, "Does anyone know where Kurosaki-san is?"

Chad shrugged and told him that they hadn't seen him since school.

"Hmm, he's usually not one to be tardy. Well, we can catch him up with things once he gets here. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten?"

"I'll text him," Ishida said, reaching for his phone.

The four of them then entered the living room, where they often held their meetings. They were joined by Ururu and Jinta, who were already sitting down, as well as a bandaged Yoruichi, who acknowledged them with a nod. This was the first time since her arrival a couple weeks ago that they had seen her awake.

"Yoruichi-san! How are you doing?" Inoue asked concernedly, noticing the endless stream of white bandages wrapped around her body.

"I'm still recovering, but I'll be fine. For now, we have bigger things to talk about. But we seem to be missing someone—where is Ichigo?" she asked.

"I'm right here. Hey, guys." Ichigo gave everyone a slight wave before leaning against the doorframe, adjusting the bottom of his pant sleeve. (Ichigo could not wait until the skinny pants trend ended.) And behind him, Grimmjow stood rather stubbornly, a scowl marring his face and hands shoved into his pockets. Minus Ichigo, everyone had their gazes locked on the Arrancar, unsure of what to say or how to act.

Before the awkward silence could stretch even more, Grimmjow spoke first. "It's clear that I'm not wanted here. I'll just be using your training grounds then, buddy," Grimmjow said, motioning to Urahara, and then walked away.

When everyone was settled, Yoruichi wasted no time in getting to the point. "Rukia and Renji have been captured. They are being charged for treason. And as far as I know, they are scheduled to be executed."

"What the hell?" Ichigo began. "They haven't done—"

Yoruichi lifted a hand to silence him. "No one talk till I'm finished. I've got the floor today. We do not have time, so spending time carping about the corruption in Soul Society will not do us any good. But, yes, for the record, I agree with you, Ichigo." And to his unspoken question, she answered, "Yes, today I'm going to talk a lot."

She paused before continuing. "I would ask that you guys return to Soul Society to rescue them per usual, but ever so conveniently, the public portal connecting the two worlds has been closed. It's been closed since your exile, Ichigo.

"This means that the only remaining portal between this world and Soul Society is the one that exists for the Captain-Commander's use. In other words, the one located in his office. As you would imagine, it is not a lightly guarded place, and one person can only fend off so many of the endless number of guards and soldiers stationed there. But that's how I got back, and it was definitely more because of luck than any skill.

"Ever since your exile, Seireitei has been expanding their defense system, partly because of the upcoming war, but—here is where I speculate—mostly for the image of their own competence."

"What do you mean?" Inoue asked.

"The impending war is not a secret hidden within Seireitei. Those living outside its walls, in all of Soul Society, are aware of it as well. However, even if they do not live within their walls, Seireitei is still responsible for the safety and welfare—at least on paper. However, rumors have spread among the outside villages that Seireitei is currently weak, incompetent, and unable to hold up against the threat of Aizen's invasion whenever it should come."

"In other words, they are losing faith in them," Ishida remarked.

"Precisely," Yoruichi answered. "There have been quite a few significant protests against Seireitei and even one minor rebellion. It's not that they don't have the power to suppress such dissent, but that if they did, what it would mean for government-people relations, which were never that great in the first place.

"As of now, I believe that they are trying to regain public favor. Especially because right now, Aizen is gaining quite the popular following among those outside of Seireitei or so I've heard. Either way, it's not looking too good for them right now."

Ishida shook his head. "I think I know what they're trying to accomplish with Rukia and Renji's imprisonment. They helped ryoukai and a Hollow—an Espada at that—escape, a huge treason offense. They're perfect scapegoats for the situation, so we may say. With their imprisonment and execution, Seireitei will be 'administering justice' and through this, they hope to win back the favor from the people. A display of competency, of sorts. Am I right?"

Yoruichi nodded. "That is what I imagine."

"We can't just sit and wait here, then. We've got to do something and help Renji-san and Rukia-san!" Inoue said.

"Yes, that we must do. The question is _how_," Urahara replied.

Chad asked, "Yoruichi-san, is there no way but the public portals and the one in the Captain-Commander's office?"

"Nothing that I can think of at the moment, unfortunately."

"Up to this point, we've only been using public portals, albeit archaic and possibly malfunctioned ones, but public portals nonetheless," Urahara added. "How much time do we have until their execution?"

Yoruichi turned away. "Four days, counting today."

Ichigo immediately cursed to himself. "We have no choice. We'll have to go through the Captain-Commander's office. We'll just have to force our way there, force our way through, and force our way out."

"Are you stupid? Clearly that's something only _you_ would do," Jinta remarked.

"That's suicide, Kurosaki, and you know it. We need to be smarter than that," Ishida added.

"What's there to be smart about when we've only got one damn choice! Tell me if you know!" Ichigo slammed his fist on the table. He couldn't bear to look at anyone right now, guilt once again pressing down upon him like an iron weight. He shouldn't think it, especially concerning recent developments, but now, he couldn't help thinking that if only, just that one time, he had done things differently, things wouldn't be as they were now…

"There may be another way," a new voice spoke from behind them. They all turned around to see Grimmjow slide the door open and seat himself down next to Ichigo, who was looking at him confusedly. "Couldn't help crashing the party, but after witnessing the pitiful lot of you, I'm kinda regretting coming here." He quickly glanced at everyone there, minus Ichigo, and noticed that regardless of how they carried themselves outwardly, each was doubtlessly looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. But he didn't really blame them, considering his past history. The had-way-too-much-fun-destroying-your-hometown-more-than-once and the used-to-work-for-your-greatest-enemy-ever-as-one-of-his-highest-ranked-soldiers (with sadistic laughing on the side) most likely warranted him that.

"If you're interested, Arrancars don't travel via pre-established portals. We travel via la Garganta. Thus, I could travel from this world to Hueco Mundo, before jumping over to Soul Society to enjoy a mini-vacation. I could even take you with me, given that you're not found, captured, and then killed."

"Of course, la Garganta. How could I have forgotten?" Urahara muttered to himself.

Yoruichi looked at Urahara. "That could work."

"Would our reiatsu signatures be tracked while we're in it?" Chad asked.

"I don't know. But that's a risk that we'd have to take, isn't it?"

"Using la Garganta, I could bring you all to Hueco Mundo. But with our time limit, I might not be able to prepare a passageway for you to get to Soul Society from there," Urahara explained.

"But I could," Grimmjow finished.

No one said it, for no one dared to, but considering their circumstance and their resources, this was perhaps their best choice. And only because of the presence of a certain someone who, for now, seemed to lean slightly more on their side than on Aizen's.

The one question left to ask, which rested on the tip of almost everyone's tongue, was "Can we trust him?" It hung in the air, humid, thickening the already tense atmosphere in the room. Grimmjow smirked amusedly, knowing fully well what they were thinking.

Ichigo, oblivious to the tension, asked, "When could you prepare that for us?"

Grimmjow's eyes instantly softened at his voice, and he turned to look at Ichigo. He answered, "Whenever you ask."

Ichigo was caught off-guard at Grimmjow's genuineness and suddenly felt a flush working its way up his neck. He quickly turned away to look at everyone else, who were, at least superficially, not noticing his flushed response.

Yoruichi nodded thoughtfully before speaking again. "All right. We'll leave tomorrow at dusk. I want to accompany you, but I have some things to first take care of. This way, you guys will also have time to get ready. Let's meet here."

Everyone nodded and then left on their separate ways. But before Ichigo left, Urahara placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him behind. "Kurosaki-san, won't you stay a little longer? I have something to ask of you."

* * *

Ichigo and Ishida waved goodbye to Chad and Inoue as they parted at a fork in the road. Ishida fixed his glasses as Ichigo adjusted his schoolbag over his shoulder. When they walked past the front gates, Ichigo casually asked, "Where ya heading?"

"Home. Where else would I go?"

"You wanna get something to eat? I'm hungry."

Ishida pondered the decision for all of two seconds before responding, "Sure." He was up for anything that would spice up his dull weekday afternoon schedule of sew, study, eat, study, cosplay, sleep. Though tonight, it'd also include weapon preparation and final battle outfit fitting. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Something warm; it's getting kinda cold these days. Hey, let's go to that Korean place we went to last time."

"Are they even still open?"

"Call 'em. I know you've got their phone number."

"Only because I really liked their _sundubu_ _jjigae_, idiot," Ishida said as he reached for his cell phone. As he dialed their number, he casually casted a sidelong glance in Ichigo's direction, watching his friend walk beside him. He was frowning per usual, hands stuck in his pockets, only reaching up to adjust his scarf whenever the wind blew it out of place. As normal as he appeared, Ishida noticed—and had been noticing—something different with Ichigo recently. To the untrained eye, it was so minute that it was negligible, but something had definitely changed. And Ishida could guess why.

"So, how are you two doing?" Ishida asked as he returned his phone to his pocket.

"Whatever," Ichigo said, but Ishida could see the edges of his frown failing.

"Hey, don't avoid the question."

"Are they open?"

"Ignoring me per usual."

"You mean like last time?" Ichigo asked, his frown finally giving way to a devious smile.

"What last time… oh, sweet merciful—ugh! I can't believe you just caused that to resurface in my mind. Where is that inseparable partner of yours?" Ishida paused. "I can't believe I just said that…"

"It was _your _fault, you know."

"How my virgin eyes were burned that day… you know you've permanently tainted Inoue and completely mortified Chad, even though he didn't show it?" Ishida reprimanded. "And yes, they are open."

Ishida then added mentally, _But you do seem genuinely happier_.

Ichigo raised his head, suddenly wearing a wistful expression.

"You can't be thinking back to that time… you bastard. I'm losing my appetite by the second."

Ichigo could only smile mischievously in response.

After the night of Grimmjow's return, everything seemed to resume to being normal as before. Ichigo would go to school, while Grimmjow spent the day wandering around and/or killing rogue Hollows. Then they would rendezvous in Ichigo's room in the evening, where Ichigo would do his homework as Grimmjow rested lazily on his mattress, the two sometimes talking and often bickering. And if Ichigo finished his homework early enough, they would both go out to spar.

Yes, everything _seemed _to resume to normal, except for the fact that Grimmjow just would not keep his hands off of Ichigo. At first, the ex-Shinigami thought that his intimate touches were rather endearing, how he would snake his arms around Ichigo's waist when he wasn't expecting it or how he rested his head on Ichigo's shoulder sometimes or even how he would speak into Ichigo's ear from behind, his breath tickling his skin like butterflies. But the pleasantness ended there, for all Ichigo was concerned.

The hands began to wander, which was fine initially, until they started going far too down south. Ichigo let out an unexpected yelp the first time it happened. "What are you _doing_?" he questioned, quickly moving the hand away. Grimmjow, for his part, was remarkably calm. He acted like nothing wrong had happened and simply did one of those waist-hug things. And it was then that Ichigo began to become wary of Grimmjow's advances.

Soon thereafter, the hands (and the mouth, as well) began not only wandering around but also under. Grimmjow's hands were cooler than Ichigo's own, though not _too_ significantly, so whenever they would creep under the folds of his shirt and once, under the waistband of his pants, a torrent of goose bumps would wash over Ichigo's body causing the offending party to always snicker mischievously before continuing.

"O—kay! Grimmjow, this has got to stop," Ichigo said one day, prying off Grimmjow's hands.

"You don't want me to, though," he murmured.

"Of course, I do! What have I been saying bluntly to your face? Hey, quit it!" Ichigo said, struggling to say each word with a stern finality. Speaking coherently when he was irate should not be this difficult… but those kisses weren't helping!

Finally, Grimmjow pulled away. Ichigo glared at him from his seat, as Grimmjow hovered over him, his hands gripping both of the chair's armrests, a little bit like the time they had first kissed. He was so close that Ichigo could feel each exhale of his breath patting softly against his forehead.

"Yes, Shinigami?" Grimmjow asked, his voice even lower and huskier than usual.

Ichigo was taken aback by the almost predatory gleam in Grimmjow's eyes, his smirk and tousled hair all the more adding to his handsome features, but he quickly gathered his composure. He would not back off. Two could play at this game.

Grimmjow's pleasant surprise and amusement was satisfaction enough when Ichigo reached up to cup Grimmjow's face before gently kissing him on the lips. It was only after the mattress underneath him had dipped under Ichigo's weight that Grimmjow realized that they had somehow made it from the desk to the bed and that Ichigo was finally giving him his overdue—

"Hey, why'd you stop?"

Ichigo smiled—"innocently" was the last word Grimmjow would've used—and then retreated only as far as a few inches between their lips. "How about I give you a deal?"

"Hmm… run it by me," Grimmjow said, leaning up for another kiss, which Ichigo swiftly evaded. "Okay, what is it," he said again, a frown on his face.

"Talk about moody."

"You did it."

"And why are you so keen on touching me all the time?"

"You like it, so I don't know why you're asking. Perhaps it has something to do with compensation for eons of being surrounded by only Hollows and manically crazed Shinigami captains. Or the fact that you're quite fetching when flustered like now."

Ichigo chose to ignore that. "Anyway, here's the deal: you don't bother me while I'm doing my homework _at all_, and I'm all yours anytime else. School, family, and the like not included."

"'Bother' can be very flexible in meaning."

"Trust me, you will know, because I will tell you. Today, for instance, you were bothering me. Don't get me wrong, I really like you, but I have other things to focus on too, you know," Ichigo explained, before he leaned down to kiss the edge of Grimmjow's jaw and turned to face the Espada. Before he could register Grimmjow's smirk, he was taken by surprise when he was unexpectedly flipped around, the springs of the mattress squeaking under the abrupt force and Grimmjow's devious face hovering barely above his own.

Ichigo was just catching his breath after having it unexpectedly knocked out of him when Grimmjow growled into his ear, "I'll keep my half of the deal, so you better keep yours." He planted a kiss on Ichigo's cheek before adding, "And we will start this tomorrow."

"Wait, what—" But Ichigo was abruptly cut off with a rough kiss to the mouth that caused him to release an unguarded moan. In between trying to catch his breath among all the kisses and movement, Ichigo barely managed out, "You skinship-obsessed bastard."

"Just wait till you see how obsessed I am," he growled, pressing his smile into the dip of Ichigo's collar.

It wasn't until their next sparring session that Ichigo wished he had included practice spars into that deal as well, for his sake as well as Grimmjow's. With the new angle to their relationship, they felt that much more excited to spar with one another. It was through battle that they had found themselves individually and subsequently, found each other. Of course, it was also another way to toot one's own horn; after all, what swordsman doesn't want to boast of victories over an able rival?

But the thing was, they'd have to complete a battle before boasting—never mind _fight_ first…

It happened during their first training spar after their "deal". Maybe it was Grimmjow's pent-up _whatever_ (Only one thing kept popping up in his mind, and Ichigo preferred not to think about it, for if he was indeed correct, he would have to suffer the brunt of the consequences.) due to Ichigo's seemingly endless homework assignments, or maybe that they just had too much energy or were too excited; regardless of whatever it was due to, the fight hardly lasted two minutes before they broke. What happened was that they began with fist-fighting, but the aforementioned punches around the gut and to the face had somehow transformed into hands greedy for skin, clutching at hair, ripping all interfering fabric, their movements hurried, frantic, and passionate.

While most of the details blurred in their memories, Grimmjow remembered himself grabbing for Ichigo's head first but that, to his surprise, Ichigo had instigated the kisses, roughly pressing their mouths together. Soon, Ichigo found himself squished between Grimmjow's body and a jagged rock wall behind him. The pointed edges pushing into his backside was hardly pleasant, but as long as Grimmjow kept pressing against him like that, he could not escape, not that he really wanted to anyway.

"Grimm… jow… h-hey… we need to… to… spar…" Ichigo barely managed. It would've been a surprise to him if Grimmjow actually understood that, considering that the words mostly came out in breathy moans and sighs.

"Why are you… still talking, huh?" Grimmjow replied against his chest, between teeth and tongue. He then roughly bit Ichigo's shoulder, who cried out in response, sending a pleasant flood of carnal satisfaction down the Espada's spine. "And why the _hell_ does your bankai cause you to have this damn annoying layer of bandages around every part of your body?" Grimmjow growled, using his teeth to rip whatever impeding cloth covered whatever part of Ichigo's body he was working on. "This is just… ridiculous…"

Ichigo chuckled at Grimmjow's frustration, teasingly bringing his hands lower along Grimmjow's body. "You're going to have to work a little harder then, won't you?" Then, when Ichigo just barely pressed within the Hollow hole on Grimmjow's abdomen, he caused the latter to let out a satisfying growl of pleasure.

"Don't fool with me, Shinigami. You'll feel it if you keep going at that rate. But damn it, you will _not_ be using bankai next time we fight."

Before Ichigo could speak another word, Grimmjow shoved him against the wall, causing him to lose his breath again (a common theme, it seems, Ichigo noted). It was then that he felt Grimmjow smirk and whisper against his bruised lips, "All bandages gone."

So on that day, they didn't end up doing any practicing. (Or practicing of the kind that they had planned.) But that was okay, since they were just excited to be with one another. While Ichigo sneered at Grimmjow in the aftermath, effectively accusing him for their lack of productivity, the latter simply blamed the deal ("We wouldn't be doing this during our spars if only you let me do this while you're doing your homework.") before moving to drape his arms around Ichigo's waist as they lay on the ground.

Therefore, on their next sparring session, they agreed to not engage in any intimacy until _after_ they finished training. They were determined (or at least the ex-substitute Shinigami was) walking in, and Ichigo even assumed bankai to further deter Grimmjow. This time, they lasted… five minutes.

"Damn it, Grimmjow!" Ichigo complained in between kisses. "S-stop…!"

"Get your mouth off my throat, and then we'll consider this stopping idea you have."

Ichigo found that too difficult a task and gave up, catching Grimmjow's momentarily free mouth in an ardent kiss.

Clearly, the make-out session _after_ training sequence failed to produce much fruit. So, why not try the opposite? If they were to get rid of their hormonal instincts first, surely they would be focused enough to train?

Focus? Sure. But strength? Not quite. "Only you would suggest something so stupid," Ichigo said, worn out and rubbing the bite marks on his shoulder.

"'Che, at least I suggested something."

"What next? A sparring session in my bedroom?" Ichigo could not believe Grimmjow actually smiled to that idea.

And during all of this, it had nagged Ichigo in the back of his mind how he would break the news of their relationship to his friends. Luckily for him, the issue somewhat resolved itself during one of their "sparring sessions".

During one such session, Ishida, Inoue, and Chad, who came to visit Yoruichi, also dropped by the training grounds, hearing from Urahara that the two of them were down there. However, when they entered, Ichigo and Grimmjow were, as the former once put it, "sparring horizontally on the ground." ("That's a crude metaphor," Ishida noted later.) The reactions were as follows:

Inoue, "Oh, my."

Chad, "…" but thinking a mantra of "_Me duelen los ojos. Me duelen los ojos." ("My eyes hurt. My eyes hurt.")_

Ishida, "Kurosaki, I did _not _want to know that you are capable of copulating! We're leaving!"

That happened about a week ago. And their relationship continued to grow as all do, with understanding, patience, forgiveness, and love. And now, as Ichigo and Ishida were standing in front of the Korean restaurant, Ichigo smiled.

"I was just remembering your face from that time," Ichigo smirked, turning to his Quincy friend.

"I had almost blanched out that memory from my mind only a moment ago until you just decided to so kindly bring it up. Please respect my wishes and never mention that ever again." Ishida fixed his glasses. "I think I've lost my appetite."

"There's also a McDonald's nearby."

Thinking of fitting into his battle costume, Ishida promptly replied, "I want my _sundubu jjigae_. Let's go."

* * *

It was almost eleven when Ichigo returned home. While enjoying their warm stews, Ichigo and Ishida had entertained a long, comfortable conversation together. It wasn't until their waiter (and then the restaurant's boss) started to hawk about their table that they moved to leave.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Ichigo was about to turn on the lights when a voice from ahead of him told him not to. He looked up to find Grimmjow quiescently sitting on his windowsill, the wintry air creeping through the opened window.

"Hey, I can't see, and I need to pack. Could you close the window? You're wasting the heat," Ichigo asked, putting his schoolbag away. He turned on his desk lamp before he began making inventory of everything he needed for tomorrow.

"What did he want with you?"

When Ichigo finally understood that he was referring to Urahara, the air around him immediately changed. "Nothing, really. We just talked about tomorrow," he nonchalantly responded, as he searched for something inside his drawer.

"That's not it. What else did he talk to you about?" Grimmjow's voice was unusually even.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Ichigo said irascibly, slamming the drawer shut before opening another one.

"Because it involves me."

"How do you know—" Ichigo started before pausing. He forcibly shut another drawer before continuing. "It doesn't matter. I told him 'no' anyway. I don't want you risking your life like that."

Grimmjow quieted and leaned against the wall, watching Ichigo walk around the room, rummaging for things to put in the small knapsack he'd take with him tomorrow. Ichigo was determinedly not looking in his direction; even when he was finished, he stood facing the adjacent wall. He did not want to think about Urahara right now, and looking at Grimmjow would just bring memories of his conversation with the storekeeper back. But it seemed that the pull of Grimmjow's gaze was too much to evade forever, as Ichigo eventually turned to face him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Am I making you self-conscious?" the Espada asked, losing his pensive look as the edges of his mouth tilted upwards for a brief smirk.

"Hardly," Ichigo answered, though he knew he was completely lying. The beams of moonlight that filtered through his window played upon Grimmjow's eyes so brilliantly, a little like light upon water, that he appeared ethereal, despite just sitting there on his bed. At that moment, Ichigo thought he truly looked like he was of another world.

Ichigo pulled out his desk chair and sat down, sighing as he rested his head against his arm, tiredly rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Ichigo."

The ex-Shinigami stiffened at the sound of his name. Was this the first time Grimmjow had addressed him like this? He slowly turned to face Grimmjow. Those blue eyes were soft as they locked onto Ichigo's own.

"If you ask me to do anything, I will do it."

Because how can you say "no" to the one you love?

End of Part VII

Author's Note(s): Thanks for reading! I'm sorry for the super-long wait this time around… I've just recently been introduced into this black hole of time called k-pop, which is where I've been spending _way_ too much time lately. Thank to all those who have reviewed (you are my inspiration^^), and please look forward to the next part!


	9. Part VIII

Date of Publication (Part VIII): 7/16/10

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Gravity

Part VIII

By Rome OMD

"_If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them, I would be at the bottom to catch them."_

-Anonymous

Exactly twelve hell butterflies were sent out from the office of the Captain-Commander, one to each captain of the Gotei 13. Byakuya was standing in his office with one of the newly recruited members of his squadron when one flew through his open window and gently landed on his shoulder. The butterfly whispered the message quietly into his ear before flying off, having completed its task.

After it had left, Byakuya returned his attention to the squad member standing by his door and then motioned for her to speak.

"Oh! Err, here are the applications for lieutenant position that we received yesterday," she answered, adjusting her hold on a stack of papers in her arms.

"Place them on my desk, next to the other pile."

"Yes, of course!" she nervously replied. As she neared the desk, she couldn't help but glance upon the other papers' contents, realizing instantly that they too were applications for the lieutenant position. When she looked more carefully, she found that they hardly looked handled, much less reviewed.

Byakuya must have noticed her lingering gaze for he asked from behind her, "Is there a problem, Megumi?"

Embarrassed that she was caught, she immediately turned around and replied, "No, there's no problem."

"Thank you for delivering the applications. You may leave."

Only after he heard the door click shut did Byakuya close his eyes and sigh, for once relaxing his usual stiff posture. He leaned against the frame of his window, observing the lively quadrangle before him. Many shinigami, both students and graduates, were walking along the sidewalks, enjoying the beautiful weather that morning.

A young shinigami-in-training, as evidenced by her academy uniform, particularly caught his attention. She placed her long dark hair behind her ear before reaching beside her for something that Byakuya could not see from his vantage point. It wasn't long until she shifted so that Byakuya could see what she held in her hands: a small wooden cage that held a beautiful white bird inside.

She stood up, whispering to the bird before reaching for the door to the cage and opening it. At once, the bird spread its wings, flying away without hesitation. The girl then smiled, holding the open cage loosely by her side. And though Byakuya couldn't hear the words she next spoke, he could read her lips. "Be free, my friend. The only rules you'll follow now are from your heart."

"Rules," Byakuya repeated to himself.

It had been by rules that he had sworn to live his life. It had been because of rules that he had opened the position of lieutenant in his squadron, as the Captain-Commander had heavily insisted that he do so. Lately, however, he found that he hadn't been following his self-avowed rules as stringently, and he was almost sure of the reason why.

And for that, because of that person, he was relatively at peace with the situation at hand. He did not fear or worry over the situation of his lieutenant or adopted sister, for he knew that Ichigo would not fail to rescue them. He never failed at anyone. In addition to his earnest dedication for others, he also had a way of influencing everyone he met, and the most amazing thing to Byakuya was that his efforts were generally unintentional; that just by being himself, Ichigo shone light into the darkness of others' lives, including the captain's own. It was a gift that Byakuya had never seen in his entire lifetime.

Byakuya left the applications on his desk unread, finding it pointless to review applications for a position that had never been vacated in the first place, before heading out for the meeting among the Gotei 13's captains at the Captain-Commander's office.

The meeting was like all the other ones that week. With the captains filed in two straight lines before Yamamoto-sotaichou, they were updated on the current state of affairs of Seireitei and the neighboring villages outside of its borders. Everything said were things they already knew or had heard before, mainly from word of mouth among the shinigami. There was nothing that held Byakuya's attention for too long.

However, when the meeting was adjourned and everyone was leaving, the Captain-Commander singled him out to stay behind. It was only when the room was empty save the two that Yamamoto-sotaichou spoke.

"These days, you can trust no one. The loyalty of people now is in a state of continual evanescence. It has become like thread upon a blade, where one misguided, superfluous movement becomes the cause of its severance." He said this standing up and observing the scrolls hanging on the wall. "But _you_, Byakuya, do not falter with loyalty or rules, especially in matters regarding Soul Society."

"I believe they are meant to be upheld."

"May I have your assurance that your first and foremost loyalty lies in its preservation?"

"Yes, for its welfare."

The Captain-Commander glanced at him once before continuing. "There is a rebellion stirring in the seventy-third district of East Rukongai. Suppress it quietly. It is removed enough where news of this will not spread but close enough that its rebellious efforts may reach our walls. Will you do this for Soul Society?"

Without hesitation, Byakuya said yes.

* * *

Grimmjow felt like he had been walking for hours already. In reality, it had only been a few minutes—ten maybe at most—but when one spends that much time walking down just one hallway, especially one painted white and windowless and its ceiling seemingly miles high, it feels like forever. And of course, it led to the throne room of the twisted maniac who had designed said hallway. In a small corner of his mind, Grimmjow also wondered if Aizen had purposely designed the acoustics such that one's echoing footsteps would uncannily resemble the knells of one's death toll as they walked to meet him.

Another hour (though it was probably just a minute) passed, and Grimmjow still couldn't see the end yet.

_What I'd do for you, Shinigami._ And Grimmjow closed his eyes to remember.

"If you ask me to do anything, I will do it."

They were simple words with a simple meaning, but to Ichigo, they felt deeper and more profound than anything he had ever heard from Grimmjow. His voice suddenly failed to work as he felt all words evaporate from his tongue.

It was with eyes averted when Ichigo finally responded. "Urahara wants you to work as a mole in Las Noches for us."

A pause. "I figured as much."  
"What?"

Grimmjow stood up to stretch. "I've lived long enough to know how these things work. Even as worlds change from century to century, people don't, and they continue to use the same tricks in the book as they did a millennium ago." Grimmjow stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around so that all Ichigo could see were his back and the tattooed six glaring right back at him. "Let's go up."

"This is the highest floor."

"I meant the roof. I need some fresh air."

"It's freezing out there—hey!" Grimmjow had already leapt out of the window. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo grabbed his coat and followed.

He found Grimmjow sitting down on the rooftop, leaning backwards with his arms. Ichigo settled down next to him but remained at about an arm-length's distance. It was just close enough to feel faint traces of Grimmjow's emanating reiatsu.

"Are you going to go?" Ichigo asked.

Grimmjow turned to look at him. Ichigo was leaning against his folded knees, his head tilted to rest on his arms. While he appeared perfectly relaxed albeit tired, Grimmjow noticed something else about him. It looked like a weight, nearly unbearable, was resting on his shoulders, one that Ichigo had been bearing alone for far too long. Sometimes, Grimmjow forgot that Ichigo was only a teenage boy, a high school student looking to get into medical school, but one having to bear the responsibilities—and more—of a Shinigami because of his exceptional power.

"Do you want me to go?"

An image of Rukia and Renji surfaced in Ichigo's head before he looked away. Their captivity was because of his failure, and he didn't want anyone else to get hurt at his expense anymore. "I don't know." It suddenly felt colder.

"I'll do it," Grimmjow said. He took Ichigo's silence as tacit acquiescence.

The Arrancar lay down, facing the night sky. The stars were so distant that they seemed utterly unattainable, almost forbidden, to him. "I don't remember ever sitting down and looking at the skies like this when I was alive. Hell, I hardly remember anything from when I was alive, except how I died and how some bastard shinigami refused to bring me to Soul Society, claiming that my 'soul' was too corrupt or whatever."

"That actually happens?"

"Lots of bullshit happens over there. Maybe in my case that shinigami was right, but it ain't the case for everyone. You seemed to find quite the friend in that little pipsqueak back at Las Noches."

"Nel?"

"Yeah, she didn't seem so bad, did she?"

"Not all of Soul Society is like that."

Grimmjow shrugged before folding his arms behind his head. "Perhaps. But you've never had to watch yourself decay into a Hollow, losing almost every shred of your consciousness as a human, or even as a soul, and have to feed on others just to survive. You have to fight for your own sanity, your own survival. And until that prick Aizen came along, regaining humanity was just an elusive dream."

"Do you hate it?"

Grimmjow paused. He closed his eyes. "No, not now. If that had never happened to me, we probably would've never met."

"Maybe we're just victims to greater forces in life," Ichigo replied as he sat quietly, the only sound being his tightening hold on his jacket collar. It was funny how things worked out sometimes, how supposedly random events lead from one to another in flawless succession and how the beginning and the end seem to have no logic together but still manage to come full circle. Ichigo looked back to the first time they had met, or he tried to at least. He hardly remembered much from that night except lots of pain, blood, and humiliation (and a mild concussion). At that point in time, he would've never imagined that months down the road, he and Grimmjow would ever be sitting on his rooftop together in amiable companionship.

"But those forces mean so much more when you have a life to live."

In silent query, Ichigo turned to look at him. Grimmjow appeared unusually pensive, almost as if he was carrying too many suppressed thoughts and feelings and burdens that came with centuries of existence and having no one to share them with. But with Ichigo there, there was finally someone to listen.

"Life seems to lose its purpose without a time limit. The things that humans find the most important are the things they spend the most time on. When you have as much time as I do, everything kind of loses its purpose. So you just search for something, _anything_, to do, like getting power or, if you can't do that well enough, workin' under other bastards who can get more power. But in the end, you still lack a real purpose. Like an apple falling, you become just an object moved and stopped by forces in time and space and you just submit. No matter how high you jump, Shinigami, gravity will always pull you back down. All you can do is brace for it. And sometimes, when you forget to prepare for the landing, you fall and end up wounded on the ground."

The silence grew pregnant for a response, but it was unceremoniously cut off when Ichigo chuckled. "Is this the wisdom from centuries of life?"

When Grimmjow opened his eyes, Ichigo's face was only inches above his own. They were close enough that the puffs of warm white air from their breathing met between them.

"Of course. Didn't I just now sound like quite the pedagogue?"

"If that's the case, then when you fall, I'll wait for you at the bottom and catch you when you do. Gravity only brings things closer together; it won't split us apart."

Grimmjow smiled. And it was completely genuine. He leaned up to close the distance between them, his hand bringing Ichigo's head closer to further their contact. "You have quite the devotion to a pretty dead guy," he murmured against Ichigo's lips.

"You make me sound like a necrophile," Ichigo replied, resting his head on top of Grimmjow's chest.

"Let's go inside, Shinigami. I want at least a good-bye kiss before I head off."

"That's it? Liar."

"I try," Grimmjow said, already fiddling with the buttons of Ichigo's shirt.

The next morning, Grimmjow had left. Almost immediately after news of his return had spread around the vicinity, he was summoned by Aizen. Traveling through Las Noches was like traversing through a familiar dream. He knew where to go and who everyone was, the intimidated and shocked faces of weaker Arrancar as he passed by pleasantly enjoyable to him. It didn't take long for him to completely recall the layout of the area, remembering where each walkway and door led. When Grimmjow finally reached the end of the hallway and entered the main hall, he was greeted by a low, silky voice.

Aizen smiled down from his chair as he said, "Welcome back, Grimmjow."

* * *

On his way to Urahara's store, Ichigo felt unusually discomforted, as if something was off. It was something that had hit him as he shut the door to his house, casting one last look to his window where he could see Kon's—or rather, his—face watching him leave. He couldn't quite place his finger on whatever it was, but he hoped that for once, the ominous feeling radiating from his gut would be wrong. Ichigo tried to shake the feeling off; it was no time to harp on something that _felt _wrong; it was time to do something about what _was_ wrong. It was time to rescue his friends. He was the last to arrive and found everyone anticipating him at the storefront.

"Finally," Ishida remarked, entering the store.

"Can't we be cordial for once?" Ichigo sarcastically replied, following behind.

Urahara led them downstairs to the vast training room. At once, he conjured up the portal to Hueco Mundo in the form of a large, archaic door. "I've programmed la Garganta into this. It can only bring you to Hueco Mundo, not from. From there, Kurosaki-san will take over, correct?"

Ichigo nodded. "Grimmjow will meet us at one of the watchtowers at Las Noches. He said that spirit energy is distributed differently there, so he'll take us to a place where he can transport us safely to Soul Society. We'll arrive right outside Seireitei's gates."

Yoruichi nodded and stepped in front of the group. She pushed the doors open to reveal a perfectly black abyss.

"Not exactly the most inviting-looking entrance, but it will bring you to your destination," Urahara said.

More of a man of actions than of words, Chad silently walked in first, the blackness immediately enveloping him as he disappeared from everyone's sight. Ishida followed him. When Yoruichi was about to go, Urahara swiftly grabbed her sleeve. "Yoruichi-san, you have it, right?"

"Yes."

"You must be careful and use it only in the most extreme of cases, because I cannot guarantee a successful passage if you were to use it."

"I'll be fine," she replied, smiling in response. She then entered through the door.

When Ichigo was about to walk in, he felt someone grab hold onto his hand. "Inoue?"

"Sorry. Can I?"

He smiled. "Sure."

The last thing Ichigo heard before he too was enveloped by the disconcerting black-hole sensation was Inoue's voice quietly asking, "Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied confidently. _Yes._

End of Part VIII

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading! Grimmjow may have been a bit OOC, but I've always imagined him being quite wise despite what he lets on; I feel like it's a by-product of living for as long as he has (either that or this is just a bad excuse for trying to bring meaning to the story's title). If you can, please drop a review and please anticipate the coming chapters! As you've probably guessed, this is a prelude to something bigger…


	10. Part IX

Date of Publication (Part IX): 12/31/10

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Gravity

Part IX

By Rome OMD

The hall was as immense and unnecessarily dramatic in appearance, despite being minimally furnished, as Grimmjow remembered. At the sound of his footsteps, everyone present turned and watched him with narrowed eyes as he approached the center. But he was confident; he smirked mockingly even under their shower of critical and, from some, menacing auras.

"Grimmjow, welcome back," Aizen said, a smile spreading across his deceptively hospitable expression.

Grimmjow looked around. In addition to the three former Shinigami captains, a few of the lower-ranked Espada were also present in the hall, a few of whom he didn't recognize.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tousen demanded.

"Clearly not to see you," Grimmjow retorted.

Aizen lifted a hand in Tousen's direction, at which the latter immediately quieted. "Please," Aizen said. He turned his attention back to Grimmjow again. "How nice it is to see you here again. We thought you were dead."

"Aizen-sama," Grimmjow said, giving a slight nod of the head. He sensed disapproval coming from Tousen—the ex-Shinigami captain had always insisted (rather forcefully at times) that all those speaking to Aizen should perform a full, formal bow—as the latter tightened his grip on his zanpakuto.

"Where have you been?" Aizen asked.

"The human world." Aizen's inquisitive gaze insisted that he further elaborate. "I was captured." But that was about as elaborate as Grimmjow was going to get.

"How did you manage to escape?"

"I befriended them. Then I betrayed them. And now I'm here." However, a slight tenseness stole over his face as he watched Aizen slowly tilt his head, examining him beyond his spoken words, like a scientist observing his specimen before unsympathetically dissecting it in half. "What do you want?" He paused before finally adding, "Aizen-sama."

"After hearing of your loss against the substitute-Shinigami, I had your position replaced." From a few feet beside him, what appeared to be a short, skinny teenage boy with an uncanny resemblance to Luppi (_What the hell does Aizen think of me if he keeps replacing me with pansy teenage boys?_ Grimmjow thought.) walked forward, not even bothering to hide his disdain for the former Sexta Espada with narrowed haughty eyes and a deep frown. "You must understand that I had no other choice after being told that you were dead after your fight with the substitute Shinigami. But, I am willing to restore you to your former position, if you're willing and able to complete this task for me."

Grimmjow's replacement looked up at Aizen with shocked, wide eyes. "But, Aizen-sama—" His protest was ignored.

"What is it?" Grimmjow demanded. The slightest traces of adrenaline began racing through his veins. For once, he hoped that it had nothing to deal with Ichigo.

"I have received news that Seireitei has sent forces, most likely from the Gotei 13, to suppress an imminent rebellion in the seventy-third Rukongai district. I would like you to assemble _una Fracción nueva_, consisting of whomever you choose, and stop Seireitei's anti-rebellion efforts."

"Stop as in suppress or stop as in kill?"

"Whichever you choose." Aizen's glinted with something suspicious that Grimmjow couldn't read. There was something else beyond just regaining his position involved; he could sense it.

"Thank you, Aizen-sama." The words tasted like poison on his tongue. Grimmjow was just about to leave until Gin spoke up.

"Hmm… do you smell that?" Gin casually asked. Grimmjow froze, his eyes darting towards Gin's direction. He was smiling per usual in that deceptive, Cheshire manner. "I smell a foreign, albeit faint, reiatsu signature from you, Grimmjow," Gin said lightheartedly. "Almost like that boy's."

Grimmjow mentally cursed himself. He thought back to Ichigo's wandering reiatsu. He had gotten so used to it that it never crossed his mind that he'd been carrying it around since arriving at Hueco Mundo.

"Don't know what the hell you're talking about," he spat violently, disappearing back into that long hallway.

* * *

Grimmjow's room was just as he had remembered it: the door behind him, the bed to the left, the desk to the right, and the window to the front. It was unadorned, austere, but so were the rooms of every other Hollow in all of Las Noches, except maybe Szayel Aporro. But he was an exception, since he didn't have a room but a laboratory. Even then, what he stored in his laboratory were test tubes, chemicals, and experimental subjects, not personal momentos. As Hollows who had left their previous lives to serve Aizen, what use would memories be anyway?

He tossed his zanpakuto onto the bed and sat beside it, burying his face in his hands as he relaxed in the silence. He had just finished recruiting members for his Fracción, which he had immediately set out to do after his meeting with Aizen. However, it had been more tiring than he had expected. He had to evaluate their power capabilities, their fighting style, and then their personalities. With Gin, and by extension, Aizen and Tousen, already suspicious of his true intentions for returning to Las Noches, he could not have anyone in his group questioning his orders.

Grimmjow sighed, rubbing his face as he looked out his window. It was late afternoon. That meant that Ichigo should be arriving in a couple hours. He looked over to his sword, trying to remember what it had been like to wield it—to swing with abandon and slay without remorse—before he had been unwillingly brought to the human world. He couldn't—at least not clearly.

_Shit, Shinigami. What have you done to me?_

To survive as a Hollow, he had to kill any semblance of emotion within his spirit. In his mind, emotions equated to weakness, and if he were to survive a peregrination through Hueco Mundo, he could not afford to be weak. He eventually came to know nothing but power, sacrificing everything and everyone in order to gain even more. And on the way, he had severed ties with all those around him—if there was no room for emotions, there was definitely no room for relationships, Grimmjow believed—and became a lone entity. He would accept followers, as he did with his original Fracción, but if they died, he didn't feel anything, because they were always replaceable.

But somehow, Ichigo, with his frustratingly orange hair, maddening grin, and ridiculously generous heart, had taken everything Grimmjow knew and flipped it upside down. Somehow, Ichigo's determination to protect him while he was stripped of his powers, to accept him even with his friends' untrusting gazes, to love him even after Grimmjow had brought nothing but hell upon his life had transformed him so vastly and so fully that not even he himself had noticed those changes within him.

He thought that maybe these feelings that had surfaced during his time with Ichigo—these _human_ feelings—would disappear with time or once he returned to Hueco Mundo, but he couldn't be more wrong if his current preoccupation with Ichigo was any indication. It wasn't even lust he felt—but love. And he absolutely hated himself for it—but loved Ichigo for it. He rested his head against the wall; he should go out soon to meet Ichigo and his group. It was now sunset.

Grimmjow suddenly heard approaching footsteps. Blue eyes immediately looked towards the door as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"Grimmjow."

The Espada stood up, frowning at the visitor. "My favorite person. What are you doing here, Tousen-_taichou_," he said, stressing the formal address more as an insult than evidence of respect.

"We can all see right through you. But for some reason, everyone else is willing to tolerate it, and I have no choice but to follow suit."

"Poor kid. Afraid of ostracization so you fall into peer pressure? Cry for your mom at the playground, why don't you?"

Tousen then violently slammed Grimmjow backwards against the wall, the latter's sword clanging as it fell to the ground. "You better start treating me with respect, or else I will cut your tongue out so that you can't even physically utter another insult against me." Tousen punctuated his threat by tightening his grip around Grimmjow's neck. "You're nothing but a Hollow. From death you came and in death you remain. I am absolutely baffled as to why Aizen-sama is still keeping you around."

"If you can't even figure that out…" Grimmjow muttered, breathing heavily. He was answered with a punch straight to the gut that left him keeling over on the ground. Tousen looked down at him scornfully before grabbing him by the collar and lifting him to eye-level.

"I know that the human's reiatsu lingering on your filthy skin is the result of more than just minor brushes with him every now and then. It's buried too deeply in you. I know what that entails, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes angrily.

"If you don't successfully complete Aizen's request, I will see to it personally that not only will you be killed but so will that boy. But because I want you to succeed, I'm not going to take an arm this time." Before Grimmjow could register his words, he felt something stab him through his midsection and he hissed in pain. When Tousen pulled his zanpakuto from Grimmjow's abdomen, he cleaned the blood off with one swift swing of his sword. "Put some bandages on. You're bleeding." Grimmjow looked up at him with pure, unadulterated hatred as he kneeled on the ground of his once immaculately white room.

The last thing Tousen said as he walked out of Grimmjow's room was: "Kurosaki Ichigo's life is in your hands now, Grimmjow."

* * *

Chad was the first to exit the portal. Ishida and Yoruichi followed not long afterwards. Then followed Ichigo, who landed unsteadily on his feet. "Where's Inoue…?" he began, only to receive his answer in the form of an unfamiliar weight collapsing onto his midsection, as he fell backwards onto the sand.

"Kurosaki-kun! I'm sorry! Oh, gosh, and I'm heavy, too…" Inoue said, immediately getting off of him.

"No, that's okay. No worries," though it was evident that through his breathy response that she had landed on a rather delicate spot. The others were politely trying to hold in their laughter from the side.

"Anyway, what now?" Chad asked, turning to Ichigo.

"We're going to meet Grimmjow at one of the watchtowers by the entrance of Las Noches," Ichigo explained. But as he and everyone looked around, they realized that there were watchtowers _everywhere_ and couldn't single out any one. He expressed everyone's fear in one word: "Shit."

"…You don't know where?" Ishida asked, smiles and giggles instantly gone.

"I thought there'd only be one…"

"Oh, I understand. It was just a little oversight," Ishida sarcastically responded. The Quincy was about to whip out his bow and fire one at Ichigo right between the eyebrows when Yoruichi spoke.

"Listen, Ichigo. I know you trust him, but right now, we just don't have the time to wait for his escort," Yoruichi explained. "We need another plan."

"What do you think we should do, Yoruichi-san?" Inoue asked.

She searched the endless expanse of desert surrounding them before setting her gaze on the only piece of civilization in sight—Las Noches. "There must be somewhere within Las Noches that Aizen uses to get to Seireitei, a place where spirit particles are arranged just right for this contraption to work," she explained as she took out a small, black cube.

"What is that?" Chad asked.

"This is what Urahara developed the night before we left. It'll amplify the correct spirit particle arrangements as we find it in Hueco Mundo, so that we can travel through a warp portal to Seireitei in one piece. Essentially, this is to ensure our safety. But the only thing is that we need to find a place of the correct arrangement. I'm sure you can sense it—spirit energy is warped here, probably coded so that Aizen can keep track of who gets in and who gets out. But there must be a place where he hasn't altered, since he needs a means with which to get to Soul Society himself. And I'm guessing it's in there somewhere," she said, pointing at Las Noches.

"So, are we going to go in there ourselves?" Chad asked.

"We don't have any other choice, do we?" Yoruichi responded. "It's not like we'll be going in completely unprepared; you all have been in Las Noches before so we can work off of what you guys remember."

"Honestly, I can't remember a thing. It was the most convoluted and geometric labyrinth I've ever encountered," Ichigo said.

"Way to boost morale there, cheerleader," Ishida replied.

"Hey, chill it with the sarcasm, will ya?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm still having trouble getting over the fact that you failed to ask even _which _watchtower we were supposed to—"

"Stop!"

The two immediately shut up, looking slightly fearfully at Inoue who was looking at them reprimandingly. "Please stop fighting! What's done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it now! We need to work together!"

Yoruichi smirked before leading the group once again into Aizen's stronghold. By relying on their memory, they were able to get into the vicinity without having to encounter any guards or Hollows on the way. But their luck was about to run out when they found themselves again in a room with four branching hallways.

"Which do we take?" Inoue asked.

"We can't split up," Chad replied. "We probably won't have the opportunity to regroup if one of us were to find the warp point."

They all looked from one hallway to another, unable to decide.

"Damn it, we need to just choose a random one and go. We don't have much time!" Ichigo said. "Let's go through here!" he said, pointing the hallway directly in front of him.

And then an ominous voice answered from behind them, "I think not."

They were surrounded.

* * *

Someone was knocking on his door. "What the hell do you want?" Grimmjow said, as he finished bandaging his abdomen. Despite this being his second go at bandaging the area Tousen had wounded on him, a pink hue was already starting to stain his newly placed bandages. "Damn it, I ain't gonna do this again. What the hell is it?" He yelled as the knocking continued.

Quickly losing his patience, he shoved his door open and glared down at the figure standing outside his room, which turned out to be one of his newly recruited Fracción subordinates.

"Pardon the intrusion, Grimmjow-sama, but in case you weren't informed: there are intruders in Las Noches. Aizen-sama has stated that it's of highest urgency that they are captured as soon as possible."

"Who are they?" Grimmjow asked, his heart pounding loudly against his chest.

"Some humans and Shinigami, I think."

The pounding seemed to amplify tenfold. "Where were they last seen?"

"In the room with the multiple hallways. I have heard they are coming this way. What do you want us to do, sir?"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes as he reached for his zanpakuto. "Get the Fracción ready. We will personally welcome our visitors. I will greet them first."

* * *

"Is this really the best plan we have?" Inoue asked as they ran down the hallway.

"Probably not, but it's the only one that we can think of right now!" Ichigo answered. After evading a poorly aimed cero from behind them, Ichigo turned around and shot a Getsuga Tenshou at the Hollows pursuers, temporarily buying relieving them of the immediate threat. But it was only a matter of time before they were to face any of the Espada, or worse yet, any of the ex-Shinigami captains.

"Hey, look!" Ishida yelled, as he pointed in front. Up ahead, the hallway branched into two larger hallways, which appeared to contain doors and perhaps a clue as to where in Las Noches they were and where they should go. "Perhaps we can find something in there!"

"Which one should we take?" Inoue asked.

"You guys take this one, and I'll take the other," Ichigo said once they reached the intersection.

"On your own, Kurosaki?" Ishida asked.

"It's okay, I've got this. You guys go on ahead. Trust me." They all nodded before taking off. Ichigo readied his sword. He felt the presence of several higher-leveled Hollows making their way towards him, but more importantly, he felt a familiar reiatsu signature appear immediately in front of him.

Ichigo just barely dodged the zanpakuto aimed at his chest, before defending another strike with his own blade. He looked up, meeting blue eyes.

"Grimmjow!"

"Fight with me," Grimmjow said, more as an invitation than a challenge. Ichigo instantly understood his intentions, poising his sword for the next parry. Their blades fell together into a familiar rhythm as they reenacted a recent spar they'd had at Urahara's not too long ago, in order to buy the others time as well as uphold the guise of two enemies fighting one another. But they had to be careful–Grimmjow had to hesitate at just the right moment to allow Ichigo to fend off the Hollows approaching him from behind, and Ichigo had to attack just a little more aggressively to make the battle seem more like a struggle than rehearsed pantomimes.

Grimmjow pinned Ichigo to the wall and held his sword dangerously close to the latter's throat, their faces only inches apart. Withal, Ichigo noted Grimmjow's musky scent. Grimmjow whispered, "They've gone the right way. It's in the third room on the right. Even though it's secured, use your zanpakuto to force it open. Everything is ready. The warp point is there."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. He then directed a Getsuga Tenshou that, though more powerful than in practice, he was sure Grimmjow would be able to dodge… but didn't. Grimmjow flew backwards against the wall, causing it to break apart into pieces of plaster that fell on top of his injured body.

Ichigo rushed to Grimmjow's side and used the pretense of hand-to-hand combat to forcefully grab him by the collar. Ichigo leaned towards him and asked, "What the hell happened?" It took only a few moments for Ichigo to see the red-tinted bandages. He shot a befuddled but worried look in Grimmjow's direction. As he reached down to examine the wound further, Grimmjow stopped his hand before grinning weakly at him.

"What are you doin', Shinigami? Helping the enemy?"

"Grimmjow…"

When Grimmjow looked up and saw Ichigo staring back concernedly at him, he took a moment to try and imprint every detail of Ichigo's face into memory. He didn't know how long it would be until he'd be able to see the ex-substitute Shinigami again. He didn't want to forget.

"Grimmjow-sama!" At the sound of his subordinates' voices, Grimmjow pushed Ichigo backwards, though just enough so that the latter still landed on his feet. Without even a moment's hesitation, Ichigo took his cue and ran down the hallway his friends had gone.

"Sir!" his subordinates called again after a few seconds of silence from their commander.

"Get them," Grimmjow ordered, his eyes never once leaving Ichigo's retreating figure.

A new source of reiatsu appeared beside him. "Is this the boy that you lost against last time? He doesn't seem all that powerful, based off of this battle with him…"

Grimmjow didn't even bother facing the new arrival. "What the hell do you want, Luppi?"

"I'm not Luppi! I'm—"

"Yeah, and I don't give a damn. Just answer the question."

The Sexta Espada spitefully replied, "Aizen-sama wants you to halt your pursuit of the intruders. He wants you to begin your assignment." When Grimmjow didn't move, the Sexta added, "_Now_, I believe. You should probably get going, if you know what's best for you, unless of course, you enjoyed having only one arm. I've heard all about that story."

Grimmjow turned around and began walking in the opposite direction but stopped after only a few steps. He said over his shoulder, "Savor your days as the Sexta Espada all you can, because they'll soon come to an end, kid," and then smiled the smile of a victor.

If his reiatsu was anything to go by, the new guy would be easier to take care of than Luppi, Grimmjow thought.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue called when Ichigo found them. "We think we've got it." The traces of a portal were just beginning to materialize.

"How was everything back there?" Yoruichi asked, handling the final adjustments.

"Just dandy. How are we doing?"

"We're almost ready!"

"We need to hurry! I can hear them getting closer!" Ishida said, readying his bow.

"Just a little more…"

"We don't have much time…!" Ishida said, firing arrows at the Hollows that were making their way in.

"And we're… done! Everyone, get in!" Yoruichi shouted.

They all jumped into the portal entry, relief temporarily washing over them as the Hollows disappeared from sight. And as they felt the pull of the portal that'd ultimately bring them to Soul Society, Ichigo could only think back to Grimmjow's eyes. He hoped they'd be the same the next time they met.

_Hold on, Grimmjow. I'll be back, I promise._

End of Part IX

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading (and waiting)! Please read and review! Happy New Year!


	11. Part X

Date of Publication (Part X): 2/24/11

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_; it rightfully belongs to Tite Kubo. I am borrowing his characters for the following piece of fiction for solely non-profit purposes.

Gravity

Part X

By Rome OMD

"No, don't go out there!" his mother and sister cried out, grabbing the boy by his arms to prevent him from leaving.

"Let me go! I left it outside, and I have to get it!" he responded.

"Leave it! It's dangerous out there! It's just a ball!"

"But it's the ball Dad gave me!"

"Dad will understand. He's got more important things to think about than the ball. When he comes back from the rebellion, he'll buy you a new one—no, don't go out there!" his mother cried when the boy managed to free himself from her grasp and escaped into the streets.

The clack of the door closing behind him echoed amid the stillness outside, a stillness that was completely lifeless and was occasionally disturbed by passing tumbleweed or emaciated stray dogs. The boy marveled at how dead the town had become in the span of only a couple of days. The silence was so pervasive that it rang deafeningly in the boy's ears. As he looked around, he noticed a few indistinguishable shadows on the ground that upon closer observation, he realized, horrified, that they were actually the bodies of men lying prostrate on the ground, unmoving. With his gaze fixed upon the faces of men he was afraid he could recognize, he missed the tall imposing figure standing in front of him and accidentally bumped into him. When the boy looked up, he saw a man dressed in white with startling blue hair and eyes and a wide, gaping hole in his abdomen.

"My son!" The boy turned around. "I'm terribly sorry, sir! Please, don't hurt him!" His mother cried as she rushed from her house to grab her child, eyeing Grimmjow's sword uneasily. When Grimmjow didn't move, she quickly brought her son inside their house.

Either the rebellion had been completely squelched by the Gotei 13 or it had been so successful that they had moved on to revolutionize another district so that by the time Grimmjow and his Fracción arrived, the streets of the seventy-third Rukongai district were already abandoned. It wasn't that there weren't people, for Grimmjow could clearly sense their presence from within the houses; they were all just inside hiding.

That meant that Seireitei's forces had been, or still were, here.

Grimmjow unsheathed his sword, prompting his Fracción to do the same. As if on cue, a multitude of new reiatsu signatures appeared and surrounded them. They were now fenced in by a circle of Shinigami that Grimmjow was sure belonged to the Gotei 13. Although the ratio between Shinigami and Hollow was completely unfair, Grimmjow wasn't concerned for his subordinates since he sensed that most of the Shinigami in this division were throwaways with power levels tantamount to only low- or medium-leveled Hollows. But one important figure was missing: Where was the captain…?

"Surrender, and we will not attack," a low baritone said from behind him. Grimmjow turned around to face what must have been this division's captain. He noted the captain's _kenseikan_ and stiff posture, which signified his wealthy and privileged upbringing. Despite the captain's seemingly apathetic appearance, Grimmjow could sense the tenseness in his aura as he gripped his zanpakuto. The thrill of battle jolted through the Espada's spine like a spark of electricity. He grinned slyly, anticipating the battle.

"Too bad I don't a give shit," Grimmjow replied as manic laughter left his mouth. He charged straight for the Captain as his subordinates attacked the Shinigami around them.

At the first clash of their swords, Grimmjow's smile widened as he said, "Not bad! But…" Catching the captain off-guard with a sudden elbow to the gut, Grimmjow threw his opponent into a nearby wooden fence, which easily toppled under the captain's weight. "…you'll need to let go of your traditional rules of battle if you're gonna hold up against me. I don't fight the way you do."

The captain staggered back up wordlessly.

"What's your name, Shinigami?" Grimmjow asked.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, and you will remember me as the man who captured you today," Byakuya replied. "Senbonzakura!" he said, as he released his sword into shikai.

Grimmjow watched curiously as Byakuya's sword separated into small pieces of reiatsu that resembled pink sakura petals. "How… _pretty_," he amusedly noted, raising his eyebrow before shooting a cero at a nearby cluster of the petals. When they swiftly dodged his cero, he noted the extraordinary speed of Byakuya's shikai. Still, Grimmjow was not chagrinned: after fighting with Ichigo so many times, he knew how to deal with speed.

In any other scenario, using Sonido would've been more than sufficient to avoid the shinigami's shikai, but the more he moved, the more he aggravated the wound on his abdomen. When he reached to touch the bandages, he found that he was bleeding again. _Damn it_, he cursed, as he searched for a way to simultaneously dodge Byakuya's shikai while minimizing the strain on his wound. Needless to say, this significantly impeded his movements and caused one too many close calls.

Then without warning, Byakuya released his zanpakuto's bankai. In response, Grimmjow willed himself to assume Resurreción. However, as Grimmjow began to transform, his wound suddenly burst open and rivulets of blood poured generously down his midsection. He could barely register the faint calls of "Grimmjow-sama" from his Fracción as the searing pain of his bones and muscles twisting into new conformations snapped against his insides like a thousand whips. He didn't remember much after that—just that he was soon on the ground and that someone (most likely the Shinigami captain) hit him on the head with the blunt force of a zanpakuto's hilt to knock him out.

But as everything faded to black, he knew what was going to come next: he knew he was going to wake up in a prison cell in Seireitei and that he was going to be scheduled for execution. But he also knew one more thing: that he would not be abandoned, that he would be caught during this fall—that Ichigo would come and find him.

* * *

The portal from Las Noches opened up directly outside of the walls of Seireitei. "Oh, not again, Kurosaki-kun! I'm sorry!" Inoue apologized, getting off of Ichigo's body for the second time that day as they exited the portal. The black hole from which they came degraded into weak wisps of energy that eventually disappeared.

"No worries," Ichigo said, albeit rather hoarsely as he rubbed his midsection. "So, what's the plan?" he asked as he realized that everyone had gone on ahead. They were walking towards a peculiar arrangement of trees and shrubbery a few meters ahead. "Hey, wait up," Ichigo called as he jogged to catch up.

"The plan is simple: break in, find Renji and Rukia, and get out," Yoruichi answered. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she maneuvered through branches and brushed away dirt while everyone else looked on, curious to see what she was searching for.

Ishida asked, "Question: how exactly do we achieve any or all of those objectives?"

"First, we travel through here…" Yoruichi began as she revealed a carefully camouflaged trap door that led underground. "…which will lead us to the underground sewage system. It's not the most pleasant way, but it'll be the safest."

"That looks good," Ichigo replied and mentally adding, _Despite how the smell makes me want to stab myself with something pointy._ "But, how about the spirit barrier that blocks foreign…" He was quickly silenced when Yoruichi fished around her pouch and presented yet another black cube, courtesy of Urahara no doubt.

"We will use this. It'll take us through the barrier, unnoticed." Yoruichi opened the trapdoor. "And afterwards, well, we'll just play everything by ear. Although things have most likely changed since the last time I've been in Seireitei—not as a criminal, I mean—I have a very good idea of where they've been imprisoned. Those that are convicted of treason are generally placed in the prison by the Black Ridge Gate to the north, where security is of the highest-level. The prison itself is not very far from where we are, but we must still move quickly." She motioned towards the door and said, "Get in, everyone, we don't have much time."

Ichigo was the first to jump in, the thought of rescuing Rukia and Renji in the forefront of his mind.

* * *

It was the first dream he had had in months. But it was ended prematurely by the sound of Shinigami guards opening his prison door, who were undoubtedly bringing him to the site of his and Rukia's imminent execution. Renji struggled against them as they tied his wrists together but to no avail.

In his dream, he and Ichigo were standing under the shade of a gazebo in the Sixth Division's headquarters. A few shafts of sunlight danced pleasantly upon the bottoms of their _shihakusho_ like a footbath of warmth. They were conversing, but Renji could recall only one part of their conversation together.

"Have you ever broken a promise?" Ichigo asked.

Renji looked at him strangely. Ichigo was leaning against the wooden railings of the gazebo, staring off into the distance. His face was marred with a frown that spoke of inner turmoil. "Why are ya askin'?"

"Because."

Renji raised an eyebrow but answered all the same. "Yeah. Yeah, I have. Not proud of it, though."

"What happened?"

Renji looked away, suddenly feeling quite chilly despite the warm summer weather. "It's war out there, Ichigo, and it just ain't pretty. People die all the time, and ya can't do nothin' about it, 'cause the war against the Hollows ain't ever gonna stop. So when yer soldiers are just a couple minutes from death, what can ya do but give 'em hope by promising 'em things that ya know will never come true? 'I promise we'll get out of here' or 'I promise everything will be all right' or 'I promise you'll get to see yer wife and children again.' It don't mean much when I talk about 'em like this, but when yer lookin' at one of yer soldiers—no, a man—in the eye, ya see so much. Ya see hope, desperation, fear, regret… and when ya see a man like this, ya can't help but promise 'em things so that when they pass, they've got somethin' to hold onto. Even if it's a lie. I remember every time, Ichigo."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Ya can't do anything about it." Curious, Renji asked, "What about ya?"

Ichigo closed his eyes. He was very still. "I may have to break one. And break someone in the process."

"What d'ya mean?"

"They don't normally feel anything, do they? And when they do, it's only after centuries of not feeling anything. They would probably be fragile, right?"

Renji was confused. "What are ya talkin' about? Ya talkin' about someone in particular?"

"No matter how hard the exterior, the interior would be fragile. Like glass."

"Ichigo!"

"He'll break. Because it'll be my fault."

"Ichigo!"

* * *

"Renji!" a new voice called.

Renji groggily opened his eyes but immediately turned away, the sunlight blindingly bright after he had spent countless days in a dark, indoor prison cell. It lacked the same warmth it had in his dream.

"Renji! How are you feeling? Renji!" the voice called again. This time, he recognized it as Rukia's.

He also recognized something else: he was able to move around freely; the arms constraining him earlier no longer there. His eyes widened when he saw the Shinigami guards lying unmoving beside him on the floor. "What…? What the—" Then he saw Ichigo standing in front of him, smirking, warm eyes twinkling in the morning sun.

"Yo, Renji," Ichigo said.

But then Renji remembered his dream. "Ichigo…" he muttered before he succumbed to weariness and fell unconscious.

They had to keep two things in mind as they were escaping.

One, they had to move quickly. Time was of the essence. It would only be a matter of time before hell butterflies would swarm the whole of Seireitei like a torrent of locusts, bearing Yamamoto-sotaichou's command to "CATCH THE RYOUKAI!" for anyone with ears to hear and then obey (with perhaps a postscript of a generous reward for their success). After all, it wasn't the first time Ichigo and his friends had broken into Seireitei to save prisoners sentenced to execution. But hopefully, it'd be the second time they succeeded.

Two, they had to move carefully. Not one road or corner was left unwatched by at least two Shinigami on patrol. Stealth had never been one of Ichigo's strong points (his method usually consisted of using shikai to break in and bankai to escape) and to weave quietly back and forth between shortcuts and main roads or to back-track their steps seemed like too intimate a dance with danger. He couldn't remember feeling his heart pound so hard against his chest. Just one wrong move could mean the failure of their rescue efforts. But as fate would have it, being careful was a lot more difficult than being fast.

"Kuchiki-san!" Inoue called, turning around to find Rukia leaning heavily against a wall to catch her breath.

"Sorry, it's just…" Rukia began. "No, look out!" She suddenly felt a heavy arm hook around her neck, catching her off-guard.

"Kuchiki-san!" Inoue repeated but was silenced when a hand clasped over her mouth. Her eyes darted nervously around to find the identity of her captor.

From ahead, Chad noticed the disturbance of reiatsu behind him. "Wait up, everyone. Where are…?"

"Crap!" Ichigo cursed, unsheathing his sword and running in their direction.

"No, wait! Don't release your spirit energy! They'll sense—" Yoruichi yelled from behind, but it was too late. It was only a couple of seconds later when she heard the painful cries of two Shinigami no doubt having been impaled with Ichigo's shikai. A minute later, Ichigo turned the corner with Rukia in his arms and Inoue walking not far behind.

When Ichigo met Yoruichi's reprimanding glare, he suddenly understood. "Oh, _shit_."

A hell butterfly gracefully flew past, as the sound of at least a hundred pairs of feet approached them.

"'Oh, _shit_' is right," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

End of Part X

Author's Notes: Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading and I hope you take the time to review, if you can.^^

So…maybe this was to be expected, but I just wanted to tell you that I will be taking a (most likely permanent) hiatus with this story from this point on. (So, I guess this isn't so much of a hiatus, then, huh?) It's been quite a while since I began this story, and I must confess that my enthusiasm for writing this story has pretty much disappeared since a couple chapters ago. (Hence the OOC-ness, which is something that I guess has become increasingly prevalent in the recent chapters.) That coupled with my absolute void of enthusiasm for where _Bleach_ is currently at/going and how I'm on the verge of going into the real world (yes, I'm probably older than you thought) just won't allow me the opportunity to continue with this story.

And so, I want to thank you so much for reading and (for some, but hopefully most!) for enjoying this story. Your support and kind words have been so encouraging, and I will forever be grateful for that.

So, enjoy life and take care!

Rome OMD


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